Leaving Perugia and heading north towards Umbertide, just over ten kilometers away, on the first hills overlooking the upper Tiber Valley (here begins the DOC Colli Altotiberini), Marco Merli has been managing 7 hectares of vineyards planted with traditional Umbrian grape varieties for about 10 years - with the important contribution and pragmatism of his father Enzo.

He came to viticulture by chance; the vineyards were destined to become a pastime for his father's retirement, who purchased them in 2000 because they were part of a property his grandfather had previously worked on. Marco joined the family some time later. He left a role as a fashion designer to find fulfillment in the vineyards and the land, while maintaining a certain aesthetic flair in the design of his labels, expressing a minimalist and essential style for his wines. Over time, he added other 40- to 50-year-old leased vineyards to his initial vineyards, acquiring and reclaiming abandoned lands and varieties. These are lesser-known lands and grapes, one might say, such as the Colli Altotiberini DOC, which has never been claimed despite being among the longest-lived in Umbria and has too little appeal to be widely distributed and promoted even on a global market. He vinifies many traditional grape varieties (Sangiovese and Trebbiano are the main ones, but also Grechetto, Malvasia di Candia, Verdello, Moscato, Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, etc.), each in its own container (concrete or large wooden ones), thus fragmenting his production across 13 different wines for a total of no more than 17,000 bottles. He cultivates healthy and respectful viticulture, with complete grassing of the vines and no pesticides, to ensure the coexistence of even the most beneficial weeds. He doesn't adhere to any particular agricultural practices, but rather a constant desire to experiment and seek vitality in the vineyard. Only copper and sulfur-based treatments are used, and only spontaneous fermentations are used in the cellar. "We don't compromise on chemicals, and the limited technology in the cellar is used outside, not inside, the wine." Wines always evolving, constantly evolving, "sometimes breathtaking, sometimes simply drinkable," bold yet honest wines that tell the story of a vintage, a terroir, a varietal, and the sensibility of a winemaker who is always careful to bring them together harmoniously in his bottles. Marco Merli is a member of VinNatur.