Orvieto DOC [ohr-VYAY-toh]
Well-known DOC area that is located in the southwestern part of Italy’s Umbria region. It covers a large area surrounding the hilltop town of Orvieto, with a classico zone covering a smaller area at the center. Wines from this classico area are generally better. Orvieto produces mostly dry, ordinary white wines from Trebbiano, Malvasia, Verdello, Grechetto, and Drupeggio grapes. The sweeter wines of this DOC (abboccato, amabile, or dolce) are better, especially those made from grapes infected with Botrytis cinerea, which engenders a rich, honeyed flavor. It’s thought that Orvieto’s abboccato-style wines were favored in the Middle Ages; they were also prized by Pope Gregory XVI in the nineteenth century.
The New Wine Lovers Companion, 2nd Edition, by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Copyright © (1) 2003, 1995 by Ron Herbst and Sharon Tyler Herbst. Reprinted by arrangement with Barron's Educational Series, Inc.