An Invite to Umbria, A Visit to Montefalco’s Cocco Ilaria, and a Pairing: Orange Spoletino “Ponderata” Paired with Peach Salad + Carbonara

2022 Cocco Ilaria “Ponderata” Spoleto Trebbiano Spoletino DOC, Umbria, Italy Paired with Carbonara with fried zucchini

Fact: The wine world lacks women in wine. But Ilaria Cocco didn’t let this stop her from replanting her grandfather’s 3.5 hectares (about 7 acres) of vineyards in the Montefalco region of Umbria north of Rome, south of Florence and east of Tuscany. The vineyards had fallen into disrepair, and he died in 1998. With her father’s help in 2000, they replanted and she brought the Montefalco vineyards into healthy production using organic practices as much as possible.

Ilaria Cocco in her Montefalco cellar

But soon Ilaria realized she wanted to make wine from her grapes and to carry on her grandfather’s tradition of winemaking and enjoying their family’s passito wines with Sunday dinners. With her family’s support, Ilaria followed her grandfather’s footsteps — and now she makes her own wine. The difference? Instead of just passito for the family, she produces a range of wines to sell commercially. Plus passito!

After a stint in London where she learned English, Ilaria Cocco says “I really wanted to come back and make wine and tell my story through wine.”

Ilaria is basically a one woman show — with continued support from her family, of course. In terms of winemaking, decision making, marketing, selling, branding she says “I do everything myself” on a recent visit in June 2025 during “A Montefalco” sponsored by Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco. She does consult with Massimiliano Caburazzi.

At first Ilaria made the wine in the family garage, but now she has a new cellar that meets her growing needs, and above the cellar on the hill, a tasting room and office.

Ilaria Cocco in her Montefalco tasting room

“I try to follow organic,” Ilaria says of her Cucco Ilaria wines, because “I respect my vineyard.” Her goal is to feel the season, to preserve the vineyard, and to preserve her business which relies on the  health of the vineyard.

Currently, she only makes about 12k bottles a year— talk about small production! In 2025 she will release her first sparkling wine.

Ilaria Cocco and Gwendolyn Alley in Montefalco

At the finish of our visit, Ilaria asked which was my favorite. When I thought about which wine Sue and I would enjoy pairing and writing about most, I said the 2022 Cocco Ilaria Spoleto Trebbiano Spoletino DOC, Umbria, Italy which she presented to me and I managed to haul around Italy, then back home to California where a week later, Sue and I opened it.

Never heard of Trebbiano Spoletino? It’s an ancient variety that’s typical of Umbria which offers more more herbal notes than other Trebbiano. There are only 15 hectares planted, so very little makes it out of Italy.

Trebbiano Spoletino

“The variety is distinct from Trebbiano Toscano. Marziale, in the first century AD mentions Spoleto wine for the first time. Trebbiano Spoletino is, first of all, a vigorous variety, resistant to most diseases. The thick skin makes it more resistant also in the most irregular years but even the hot and arid years are generally not a big issue also thanks to the high vigor and its natural acidity. These are the key features which outline the originality and the qualities of Trebbiano Spoletino, a truly unique variety.

“No other white grape varieties have such traits in central Italy, where whites generally reveal a more “horizontal” profile which relies on the savory trait rather than on “vertical” acidity. But the strengths of Trebbiano Spoletino are not limited to the Nordic aromas and the quite high level of acidity: it is an extremely eclectic and versatile grape, suitable to different stylistic interpretations and types of wine.

“Generally, the wines obtained from this grape are two-dimensional: on the one hand the richness, unusual at these latitudes, in terms of fresh aromas, acidity and a citrus vein, on the other a territorial consistency that goes through more familiar atmospheres made of fruit concentration, structure and a savory character. The aromas range from ripe or fresh fruit to balsamic notes, along with tropical and citrus tones, always enriched by a certain minerality and a smoky trace that intensifies with aging.”

Trebbiano Spoletino

I reached out to Ilaria about pairings, and she said “Ponderata goes well with vegetarian dishes, even rich ones, and with egg-based recipes like pasta with vegetarian carbonara. My favorite pairing is with truffe, black, but especially white, although I Imagine it’s not so easy to find in California.” She recommends serving at a temperature of 12/14° C or around 55 degrees.

Grateful for this opportunity to meet Ilaria and taste her wines! Thank you to the Consorizo! And to the other wine writers with whom I traveled!

Ilaria offers 3 different Trebbiano Spoletino: still, sparkling, and orange!

And now you’re invited to Umbria, the green heart of Italy! Umbria has an ancient wine making tradition going back thousands of years.
In fact, the word for wine comes from an Umbrian word “vinu” says Attila Scienza.
On August 9, the Italian Food, Wine, Travel writers are tasting and writing about wines from Umbria— and you can too! Scroll down for all the details to prepare you for wines from Montefalco— both a beautiful walled town AND an area of Umbria that I spent almost a week crisscrossing and visiting various wineries and attending events, Master Classes and more thanks to the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco!
To get you in the mood, check out “Discover the Green Heart of Italy: Orvieto DOC in Umbria Paired with Chicken Cacciatore #ItalianFWT” where you will find ideas about wines from Umbria’s Orvieto.
But I suggest you head to Montefalco, home to Sagrantino. It’s right in the center of the map above— with Spoleto on the edge on the bottom.

view from my window at the Hotel Ola Rosso of the walled village of Montefalco— cars struggle to get in!

From the handbook we received:

While Trebbiano Spoletino is a white grape that’s just getting going again, Umbria is best known for Montefalco Sagrantino produced exclusively in the hilly territory of Montefalco and the municipalities of Bevagna, Castel Ritaldi, Giano dell’Umbria and Gualdo Cattaneo.

A relief map of Montefalco, Umbria found in the Romanelli tasting room. You can imagine that the flat area used to be a lake bed! The unique geography protects the vines from damaging storms

According to the Consorzio Tutela Vini Montefalco, “The wine varietal Sagrantino has existed in these parts from time immemorial and was, in fact, cultivated by the first Franciscan friars. It’s then – clearly – a local variety. The name itself derives from a recently discovered old and fascinating story. 13 February 1240, in an unknown Umbrian castle called ‘Coccorone’ (literally ‘top of the hill’), some of the ‘sacred’ falcons favoured by Emperor Federico caught a deadly disease. Without any effective cure, the falcons seemed destined to die until the Emperor enlisted the expert help of Theodore of Antioch. His only solution was an infusion of sugar, alcohol and violet petals (‘Violaceum’) but indicated that there wasn’t enough time to prepare it. After some consideration, the decision was made to add violet petals to the local – and particularly sweet – wine for the sick birds of prey to drink. It worked! The sacred falcons were cured. For this reason, the wine most typical of Montefalco, is called ‘Sagrantino’ (from ‘falco sagro’ – sacred falcon). It also led to the city’s name being changed to ‘Montefalco’ – ‘il monte del falco’ – ‘falcon’s mountain’. In 1451, the infamous Florentine artist Benozzo Gozzoli, was commissioned by the Franciscans to paint a fresco on the apse of their church, possibly alluding to Sagrantino as the bottle of red wine on the knight of Celano’s table in the frescoes dedicated to the life of St Francis. Montefalco, together with the other towns embraced by the Consorzio appellation, has always been a great “land of wine”, as evidenced by the many historical documents which tell of its hills particularly suited to viticulture.”

Cocco Ilaria’s elegant Sagrantino DOC “Phonsano”

You may have had Sagrantino in the past. If you found it a bit too tannic and strong, give it another swirl! Today’s styles are much less aggressive, and in Ilaria Cocco’s talented hands, we found her reds elegant, elevated, and with lovely cherry and lots of herbal characteristics. Her Sagrantino soils are slightly different from the typical soils of Montefalco— they have more clay and gravel. The clay she says brings out the freshness. I was especially taken with the 2020 Rosso, a complex and elegant field blend from her estate vineyards that’s 70% of Sangiovese, 20% Sagrantino, and 10% Merlot that’s full of black current tea, fresh blackberry fruit, and spice and everything nice!

2022 Cocco Ilaria “Ponderata” Spoleto Trebbiano Spoletino DOC, Umbria, Italy with pecorino and grilled peach salad

2022 Cocco Ilaria “Ponderata” Spoleto Trebbiano Spoletino DOC, Umbria, Italy Paired with:

  • Pecorino, pecorino and more pecorino!
  • Cheese board: pecorino, parmesan, pecorino with pistachios, pecorino with truffles, American prosciutto, American picante prosciutto with black pepper and fennel, truffle prosciutto, black olives
  • Homegrown tomato bruschetta on ciabatta
  • Grilled peach, pecorino, walnut salad
  • Carbonara with Zucchini (Sue made a variation of this recipe which also included pancetta)
  • And pecorino! When in doubt, bring the pecorino out!

Trebbiano Spoletino

2022 Cocco Ilaria “Ponderata” Spoleto Trebbiano Spoletino DOC, Umbria, Italy

ABV: 13%
SRP:  $30
Grapes: 100% Trebbiano Spoletino from Spoleto DOC grown using organic practices but not certified
Importer:
1700 bottles produced
This wine was a gift from the winemaker Ilaria Cucco following my visit in June 2025, and I brought it back from Italy. 

Her distinct labels hint at the fingerprints of her ancestors — and the waves of her hair.

The “Ponderata” comes exclusively from the authochthonous grapes of Trebbiano Spoletino, a wine with the potential for elegance and evolutionary. Founded in 2008, Ilaria Cocco produces 10-12,000 bottles a year some of which are imported to the US as well as to the Netherlands. Her 30 year old vines are grown using organic practices on clay and limestone harvested in late September, macerated on skins for 15 days, 18 months on steel, refined in bottle for 10 months. Learn more about Cocco Ilaria here.

Appearance:  Very golden, buttercup, shimmering gold, clear, pale yellow rim, deep in color

Aroma: Ponderosa pine, butterscotch, vanilla, perfume like, chamomile, fennel, rich white flowers, white roses, intriguing, intoxicating, amber, richness develops as it warms. The aromatics in the wine are beautifully enchanced by the food– evening orange blossom is evoked when paired with food.

Palate: Lemon drops, peach, nectarine, white stone fruit, fennel, minerals, tannins, chalky finish, light refreshing, smooth across the palate, orange oil, basil.

Pairing: Beautiful with bruschetta, lovely with the pecorino! This wine brings out beautiful nuttiness in the parmesan,  but just fine with the pistachio pecorino. Fabulous with the truffle pecorino— it make the wine pure and clean. Also lovely with the truffle proscuitto. The grilled peach in the salad highlights the stone fruit flavors in the wine. Lovely with the carbonara bringing out nice orange blossom in the aroma and the flavors. The salad brought out the herbal characteristics and with the carbonara the wine is so very smooth as the acidity cuts through the richness of the pasta and makes the meal light and refreshing.

foil on Cocco Ilaria wines

You’re invited to join Italian Food Wine Travel in UMBRIA this August!

  • In the next two weeks, find one or more wines from Umbria.
  • All are welcome to participate. Please join us!!
  • The wine/s can be from any grape in any style– red, white, rose, orange, sparkling, sweet–- and from any part of Umbria.
  • We emphasize pairing Italian wines with foods, but the menu does not have to be regional.
  • Sponsored posts and sample wines are fine as long as they are clearly identified as such.
  • We love to read about the stories behind the wine and why you chose it.
  • We love to learn about travel to the region of the world where your wine/s and dishes came from.
  • Please let me know you’ll be participating by commenting below!
  • Please get your title to me by commenting below by Tuesday Aug. 5. Thank you!
  • You can also post in the Facebook event “An Invitation to Umbria” under the title thread before EOD Tuesday August 5 so that I can publish a preview post with titles and links to participants. (Event to come!)
  • From Friday August 8 to Saturday Aug. 9 at 9am, please publish your post.
  • We encourage you to include #ItalianFWT in the title of your article.
  • Append to your post the preliminary HTML to link to other participants; it can be found on the Facebook event page or can be cut and pasted from the preview post which I will publish Weds. Aug. 6.
  • Please update with the final HTML when it is available on Sat. Aug. 9.
  • Read around, comment, and share each other’s posts.
  • As soon as it is available, please remember to add the final HTML to your post which links to participants’ published posts.
  • Have fun! Stay tuned and subscribe!
  • Email me with any questions: gwendolynalleyATyahooDOTcom

wine maker Ilaria Cocco and wine writer Kathleen Smith in the Montefalco tasting room

So what wine will you be tasting in the next two weeks from Umbria?? Do tell in the comments! Cheers!

 

 

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