When Margret Etten Cantarelli, a German expat with an abiding love of the land, established Montemelino in 1961 on the northern hills above Lake Trasimeno, she was not chasing a wine movement. She was farming. More than sixty years later, that founding instinct remains the estate's guiding principle under her daughter Sabina and Sabina's partner Pier, who together have deepened the organic commitment their family has practised since the very first vintage.
Backstory
Margret and her husband Guido built Montemelino from the ground up on sixty hectares of Umbrian hillside, cultivating vineyards and olive groves side by side. Sabina took over roughly a decade ago, making her the second generation to manage a farm that has never relied on synthetic herbicides, chemical fertilizers, or irrigation. The transition preserved everything essential: the same parcels, the same grape families, the same hands-first approach.
The Region
Montemelino sits within the Colli del Trasimeno DOC at approximately 300 metres above sea level. The lake exerts a moderating influence on the local microclimate, extending the growing season and encouraging slow, even ripening. Soils are alluvial clay and limestone with sandy fractions, a profile that retains moisture in summer and promotes lively acidity in the finished wines.
Vineyards and Farming
Nine hectares are planted to traditional Umbrian and central Italian varieties. White grapes include Grechetto, Trebbiano Toscano, and Malvasia; red grapes include Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Canaiolo, and Gamay del Trasimeno, the local name for a Grenache whose origins in the area are thought to trace to 17th-century Spanish influence. All pruning, tying, and harvesting is done by hand, with grass cover between rows to encourage biodiversity and reduce erosion. Yields are held to around 50 quintals per hectare.
Winemaking
Fermentation proceeds with wild yeasts in stainless steel tanks and cement vessels, with no fining or filtering before bottling. Sulfur additions are minimal. Some reds spend six to eight months in old oak barrels. The philosophy is deliberate restraint: let the site speak, assist as little as possible.
The Wines
The estate produces a Grechetto-led white and a Trebbiano-Malvasia blend under the IGT Umbria designation, a rosé from Ciliegiolo, and several reds including Giovanotto (Trasimeno Gamay DOC), a Sangiovese, and Vinea Alta, a Colli del Trasimeno DOC red blend. A liter-format Sangiovese called Malpasso rounds out the range as the everyday table wine Sabina makes no apology for offering.