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Falesco Winery Guide

Cellar Tours Insight — Since 2003, Cellar Tours has planned private wine journeys through the world’s leading wine regions, pairing tailor-made itineraries with VIP winery visits, fine dining, and expert regional guidance.

Winery Overview

Saddling Umbria and Latium (Lazio in Italian), the renowned Falesco Winery defies definition. Not only is this excellent boutique winery’s regional character hard to pinpoint, but so is its style; it is at once firmly rooted in the past and dedicated to innovation. On the one hand, Falesco has a stellar reputation for its cult wines like the powerful Montiano or the pleasing Vitiano, both of which use international varieties. Still, the winery is also known for its historical rigor in recuperating ancient autochthonous varieties like Roscetto.

Run by Riccardo and Renzo Cotarella (both highly respected winemakers; Riccardo is perhaps Italy’s best-known wine consultant, and Renzo is Antinori’s wine director), the winery is set in the historic winemaking region of Montefiascone, near the shores of pretty Lake Bolsena. The cellar is in Montecchio, Umbria (about 30 miles south of historic Perugia), although the vineyards are scattered on both sides of the border. This area, hemmed in by the Tyrrhenian Sea to the west and mountains to the east, offers a volcanic soil that allows many different varietals to thrive. One of Falesco’s best-known vineyards is Poggio dei Gelsi, where the ancient varietal Roscetto was identified.

Falesco originally dedicated itself to making a good and highly commercial “Est! Est!! Est!!!” white wine. Still, within a few years, it had expanded its vision and made specialty wines. Traditional fruity whites are popular these days, but the winery is even better known for its high-quality red wines like the flagship Montiano or the everyday Vitiano. Many wine lovers accredit these two wines to bestow the Latium region with a prestige it hasn’t enjoyed for centuries. Falco’s broad range means it can produce excellent luxury and value wines.

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Author

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Genevieve Mc Carthy

Genevieve, originally from San Diego, California, has spent the last 25 years living in Europe, primarily in Spain, Ireland, and Italy. She has a background in the wine industry, having worked for a top wine importer in Ireland and a prestigious winery in Italy's Franciacorta region. In 2003, Genevieve founded Cellar Tours, a boutique wine tours company based in Madrid, Spain. She holds wine education credentials from the Wine and Spirit Education Trust (WSET) in London and has a strong network within the European wine industry. Genevieve's specializes in organizing VIP tours to exclusive wineries that are not accessible to the general public. With a passion for food and wine, fluency in multiple languages, and expertise in luxury travel and tourism, Genevieve has built a successful career in creating unique wine experiences.

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