Being Sardinian, Giovanni has a love for his native white grape, Vermentino. We love Vermentino too so we're excited to offer this unique Umbrian expression of the grape. Two days on the skins, stainless steel, no sulfur additions. Roughly 1000 bottles made.

Vini di Giovanni

Giovanni Battista Mesina, "the shepherd that makes wine", as he is known to the locals,  is not native to Umbria. Rather, his family are generations-old Sardinians who have adopted, and have been adopted, by central Umbria.   Giovanni was born in Sardegna, close to where Gallura and its famous Vementino is made, but grew up almost entirely in Umbria.  The family business has always primarily been raising sheep.  To this day, on their hilltop homestead, Giovanni and his family raise over 1000 sheep.  They produce milk, cheese and wool as well as pasture-raised meat.  If you know anything about shepherds it's that they are sincere, stoic and reserved...when you meet Giovanni you feel his warm soulfulness, which is translated directly into the wines. 

The hilltop hamlet of Pianello, just east of Perugia, is where Giovanni's farm is. The vineyard land is tiny, as of 2017 only 3 hectares total.  Plans to expand to an eventual 6-8 hectares are in the works for the future.  Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, Montelpulciano, Vernaccia Rossa are the primary red grapes while Vermentino is the white grape of choice thanks to Giovanni's Sardinian heritage and pride that comes with it.  2017 was Giovanni's first bottled production.  Before this, the wines were made strictly for home consumption and direct sales to locals.