Umbria, a special wine region. It was once the Etruscans and later the Romans who gave wine growing - and agriculture in general - a kickstart, nowadays the region is not the most famous in terms of wine. This relative anonymity makes the region special. Wine tourism is not massive and the -otherwise beautiful- towns are still quiet. Also not unimportant: The wines -often of high quality- are still absolutely affordable. It makes Umbria generally a pearl in the shelter.
The company Fattoria Mani di Luna, loosely translated as 'the Hand of the Moon', was founded in 2012 and is located in Torgiano, which is also the name of one of Umbria's two DOCGs.
The estate has existed since the 70s, but it is Simone, Rocco and Alessandro, friends of each other, who breathe new life into the place. They convert the agriculture to organic and eventually biodynamic. Over the years they notice how much impact this step has. Nature and agriculture can both exist and the harvest increases in size after a dip of a few years. A trend that is noticeable among more BD farmers, and has to do with the recovery of the natural energy of the plant.
Mani di Luna has 7 hectares of vineyards, planted with Sangiovese, Grechetto, Trebbiano, Malvasia, Barbera and Sagrantino.
At Mani di Luna the wines are made according to 'Cosmic winemaking'. All grapes are harvested by hand and also destemmed by hand. Then all the grapes that are processed are crushed by foot. Even white wines get some skin maceration. They believe that this transfers the right energy to the final wine. Then the pulp is pressed in a wooden vertical press.
Fermentation takes place with the yeasts present on the skins, using the 'pie de cuve' method to avoid uncontrolled fermentation.
Once the must has become wine, it is transferred to concrete, stainless steel and terracotta vats on fruit days according to the lunar calendar, where it is allowed to rest all winter long. Battonage takes place weekly, which allows the fine lees to be drawn through the wine and thus stabilized.
Also for the moment of bottling, time and constellations are taken into account, there is no clarification and only (coarse) filtering when necessary. Occasionally a little sulphite is added.
In short, through manual and artisanal processes, the Azienda Mani di Luna tries to obtain natural products with a high nutritional and energetic value, with respect for both plants and the environment.
The wines of Mani di Luna are special in character. Here an honest and sincere product is made, with a nice stubborn edge in its youth, which works super well with for example simple, tasty vegetable dishes. The pet-nat is deliciously made on the fruit, perfect to drink young. However, the wines can also age very well! The red Torgiano '14 'La Cupa' for example was 9 years later a model of elegance, refinement and individuality. A memory that we will not soon forget and proves how craftsmanship and patience can lead to a great wine.
