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Umbria

While not as famous as Piedmont or Tuscany, Umbria offers some exceptional wines for the intrepid explorer. The "green heart of Italy," Umbria is the only region in Italy that neither borders the sea nor another country. Among its ruggedly beautiful hillsides and forests are 13 wine-producing areas, growing a wealth of grape varieties. Most common is Sangiovese, which is sometimes blended with Umbria's unique red grape, Sagrantino. This grape is responsible for some incredibly dense and tannic wines. But Umbria is probably best understood through its zesty dry whites, especially Orvieto, a blend of Grechetto and Trebbiano that is typically unoaked and bursting with complex fruity flavor. The IGP (Indicazione Geografica Protetta) classification within Italy's winegrowing and winemaking world specifically links the place or region where the fruit was grown to the quality of the finished product. It is the broadest of the classifications within the country's system.