Risky business

With rocky, pallid gorges fringed by hardy shrubs, the Calanchi Valley resembles an odd lunar landscape specked with verdant growth. Compared to the famous regions of Verona and Tuscany, acquiring this site to set up a winery would be a risk, one that Noemia d’Amico and her husband took in 1985. Noemia saw the potential of its terroir. “We believed in the quality of the rich minerals of the soils in this ancient valley, where time seems to have stopped,” reveals Noemia, a Brazilian who moved to Italy in the 80s after marrying Paolo, an Italian shipping businessman and oenophile.

Tuscia, a territory that straddles border areas of Lazio, Umbria and Tuscany, is no stranger to wine growing. Before the Romans arrived, the Estrucans had cultivated the land for winemaking. In medieval times, Tuscia was located along the Via Francigena—a route used by pilgrims heading to Rome from other European countries—where cheap wines were often sold to travellers.
Today, Paolo and Noemia d’Amico winery’s gamble has paid off. Awards and recognition have come their way: recently, the Italian Sommelier Association handed the winery’s Calanchi di Vaiano 2010—a Chardonnay—the 5 Grappoli, the highest score in their Duemilavini 2012 wine guide.