What is made here
Wine colours
The only colour the rules allow.
Where it is
Rosso Orvietano in Italy
- Latitude
- 42.6°–42.9° N
- Vineyard altitude
- 138 m to 439 m
- Production zone
- 96,988 ha
Contains 1 appellation (outlined on the zone map)
Lago di Corbara
Worked out from the boundaries (smallest container first). They follow whole communes, so a neighbour sharing a commune can show up here too.
Boundary drawn from whole communes, so it is a little larger than the legal zone. Boundary: Eurac Research PDO inventory (CC0). Country outlines: Natural Earth. Dots on the zone map are the vineyard points used for climate.
01 · What the law says
The rules
Limits on grapes, yields, ripeness and ageing that every wine labelled Rosso Orvietano must meet.
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Canaiolo
- ≥ 85% Canaiolo · Main grape
- ≤ 15% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Ciliegiolo
- ≥ 85% Ciliegiolo · Main grape
- ≤ 15% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Pinot Nero
- ≥ 85% Pinot Noir · Main grape
- ≤ 15% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon
- ≥ 85% Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon · Main grape
- ≤ 15% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Merlot
- ≥ 85% Merlot · Main grape
- ≤ 15% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Sangiovese
- ≥ 85% Sangiovese · Main grape
- ≤ 15% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Aleatico
- ≥ 85% Aléatico · Main grape
- ≤ 15% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Blend rules
Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso
- ≥ 70% Aleatico / Cabernet Franc / Cabernet Sauvignon / Canaiolo / Ciliegiolo / Merlot / Montepulciano / Pinot Nero / Sangiovese · Main grape
- ≤ 30% other red grapes authorised in Umbria · Others allowed
Other varieties allowed
Besides the main grapes, the rules allow these varieties in some wines. Grape names link where a profile exists.
38 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Canaiolo
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calabrese, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Merlot, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
38 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Ciliegiolo
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calabrese, Canaiolo Nero, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Merlot, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
38 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Pinot Nero
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calabrese, Canaiolo Nero, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Merlot, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
37 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Cabernet Franc/Cabernet Sauvignon
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Calabrese, Canaiolo Nero, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Merlot, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
38 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Merlot
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calabrese, Canaiolo Nero, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
38 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Sangiovese
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calabrese, Canaiolo Nero, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Merlot, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
39 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso Aleatico
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Calabrese, Canaiolo Nero, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Ciliegiolo, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Merlot, Montepulciano, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Pinot Noir, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Sangiovese, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
31 varieties · Rosso Orvietano/Orvietano Rosso
Aglianico, Alicante, Barbera, Calabrese, Carignan, Cesanese Comune, Cesanese D Affile, Colorino, Dolcetto, Foglia Tonda, Gaglioppo, Gamay, Grechetto Rosso, Grero, Lacrima, Maiolica, Malbec, Malvasia, Mammolo, Marselan, Nebbiolo, Petit Verdot, Primitivo, Prugnolo Gentile, Rebo, Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso, Sagrantino, Syrah, Tannat, Teroldego, Vernaccia Nera
In the vineyard and cellar: rules for every wine
2,500
Vines per hectare, minimum
600 m
Highest vineyard allowed
No forcing
Forcing the vines is prohibited
Permitted
Irrigation
Cellar
Where the wine must be made
Within the production zone
Allowed
Enrichment (chaptalisation)
02 · Climate fingerprint
The climate
The growing season averages 18.6 °C, warm on Gregory Jones's scale, with 1,850 growing degree days (Winkler III).
The average year 1991–2020, vineyards at about 317 m
Monthly mean, °CRain, mmGrowing season
- Growing-season temperature
- 18.6 °C
- Warm · 17–19 °C (Jones)
- Growing degree days
- 1,850
- Region III: 1,667–1,943 degree days
- Growing-season rain
- 515 mm
- Of 943 mm a year
- Harvest rain
- 209 mm
- September–October
Copernicus ERA5-Land monthly averages at 5 vineyard points (Vineyard point 1, 197 m; Vineyard point 2, 500 m; Vineyard point 3, 457 m; Vineyard point 4, 194 m; Vineyard point 5, 237 m), moved to each point's height from the model's terrain. Indices that need daily data are not captured yet. How the climate figures are made.
Closest climates in the database
Picked by the data, not by hand: the profiles nearest on season warmth (counted twice), degree days, rain, ripening-month nights and day–night range. Neighbours within 30 km are left out, as they share the same weather.
1. CasteggioVery similarCompared with Rosso Orvietano: same season warmth, similar rain.
2. Oltrepò Pavese metodo classicoVery similarCompared with Rosso Orvietano: same season warmth, similar rain.
3. Terre di CasoleVery similarCompared with Rosso Orvietano: same season warmth, similar rain.
Growing-season temperature
Growing degree days
Growing-season rain
03 · Year by year
35 vintages
Each column is one growing season: heat above or below the 1991–2020 average, and rain at harvest. Pick a year for the details.
Warmer than averageCooler than averageHarvest rain (Sep–Oct)Average harvest rain, 209 mm
2025
- Growing-season temp.
- Growing degree days
- Harvest rain
- Growing-season rain
- September nights
- Hot days and frosts
Seasons are labelled by harvest year (April–October). Year-to-year changes from ERA5-Land; tested against station records in Alto Adige (r = 0.94 for season temperature at Bolzano). Rain varies more locally, so treat single-season rain with some caution. Vintage ratings, harvest dates and frost or hail events have places in the data model but are not loaded yet.
04 · Where the numbers come from
Sources
- A geospatial inventory of regulatory information for wine protected designations of origin in Europe · Candiago et al., Scientific Data 9, 394 (2022); Eurac Research · CC0
- Quality wines in Italy and France: a dataset of PDO specifications · figshare 25393261 · CC BY 4.0
- ERA5-Land monthly averaged data (reanalysis-era5-land-monthly-means) · Copernicus Climate Change Service (C3S), Climate Data Store · CC BY 4.0 (Copernicus licence)
- OpenStreetMap vineyard areas (landuse=vineyard), from Geofabrik country extracts · OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL 1.0
- Copernicus DEM GLO-90 (AWS open data tiles) · European Space Agency / Copernicus · Copernicus DEM licence
- Disciplinare di produzione: Rosso Orvietano (version published by MASAF up to May 2023, via the Internet Archive; later amendments not yet included) · Ministero dell'agricoltura, della sovranità alimentare e delle foreste (MASAF) · Official act
- Appellation nesting worked out from boundaries (pipeline/build_nesting.py) · Vinous, from the Eurac PDO boundaries · CC0 (source data)
- Climate profiles calculated by Vinous: method
Still to check (3)
- Generated from EU reference data: check against the current product specification.
- From the specification: Aleatico may be amabile or dolce (at least 9.5% vol actual alcohol), so its sweetness is null. The Cabernet wine may use Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon together or separately. Enrichment may not raise alcohol by more than one degree. The 2,500 vines/ha minimum applies to new plantings.
- National tier (DOC/DOCG) not captured yet; rules extracted from the specification text.