Cannara, Umbria · Est. 1971
Di Filippo
Thirty hectares of vine on the clay-calcareous hills of Cannara, equidistant between Torgiano and Montefalco, with views toward Assisi. This is the Di Filippo estate, one of Umbria's earliest organic estates, certified by ICEA in 1994, and formally biodynamic under DIBIUM since 2008. The shift was not cosmetic. It was total.
Today the estate is run by Emma Di Filippo alongside her sons Francesco and Filippo Franchi. Emma's brother Roberto, whom Italian wine journalists have long called l'enologo horse whisperer, the oenologist horse whisperer, introduced draught horses to five hectares of the estate in 2009. He no longer ploughs with machinery where the horses can reach. The soil structure is different for it: low compaction, preserved microbial life, a vineyard that breathes. Roberto also collaborates with the University of Perugia on research into the measurable benefits of organic and biodynamic farming in Umbrian viticulture.
Geese are bred and released into the vineyard rows to fertilize and clean the soil naturally. The dual-animal system reduces energy consumption by an estimated 40% compared to mechanized farming equivalents. It is, in every sense, a closed-loop estate.
Roberto has since shifted primary focus to his other projects, Plani Arche in Cannara and Sapata in Romania, an ethical enterprise employing local workers near the Danube Delta, and Emma now directs the Di Filippo estate day to day. Her story has been profiled as one of "charm and determination" in Italian and international trade press. Jancis Robinson MW has reviewed the estate on JancisRobinson.com; Regal Wine Imports has published extended features on Roberto's farming philosophy.
The Vineyard
Cannara: Between Two DOCG Zones
Cannara sits in the Province of Perugia in the low rolling hills between the Torgiano and Montefalco appellations, at the lower-to-mid range of the Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG elevation band (220–472 meters). Di Filippo's terrain is hilly and sun-exposed, the soils a deep clayey-calcareous mixture that provides good water retention through the hot Umbrian summer and mineral complexity from the limestone beneath.
Vine density is 5,000 plants per hectare, trained to cordone speronato (spur cordon), a system that controls yield while concentrating the vine's energy into fewer, more expressive clusters. Yields run to 4,000–5,000 kilograms per hectare, well within the DOCG maximum of 8 tons.
The estate was founded in 1971 and some of the older plantings may be approaching or past 50 years. The entirety of the estate has been farmed without synthetic inputs since organic certification in 1994, over three decades of continuous organic management. The biodynamic transition from 2008 onward layered a further set of practices onto that foundation: lunar and cosmic calendars governing pruning and harvest timing, biodynamic preparations in the vineyard, and the integration of animals as working partners in the ecosystem.
| Location | Cannara, Province of Perugia, Umbria |
| Estate Size | 30 hectares under vine |
| Soils | Clayey-calcareous, hilly terrain |
| Training | Cordone speronato (spur cordon) |
| Plant Density | 5,000 vines/hectare |
| Yield | 4,000–5,000 kg/hectare |
| Organic | ICEA certified since 1994 |
| Biodynamic | DIBIUM certified since 2008 |
| Special Practices | Draught horses (since 2009), geese for soil management |
| Research Partner | University of Perugia |
The Family
Emma, Francesco, Filippo, and Roberto
The Di Filippo estate is a family operation in the fullest sense. Emma Di Filippo is the estate's current operator, running the property alongside her sons Francesco and Filippo Franchi. The day-to-day rhythm of the estate, from the biodynamic calendar to the harvest decisions to the cellar work, flows through her hands and those of her sons.
Roberto Di Filippo, Emma's brother, is the estate's philosophical and scientific architect. It was Roberto who pursued the biodynamic certification, Roberto who introduced the horses, Roberto who built the research relationship with the University of Perugia. His natural inclination is the vineyard, he describes himself first and foremost as a farmer, not a winemaker. Italian journalists gave him the epithet l'enologo horse whisperer early, and it has stuck.
Since the Covid pandemic, Roberto has concentrated his energy on his other projects. Plani Arche is a second Cannara winery he operates with his wife Elena, producing wines outside the Di Filippo estate identity. Sapata is a winery he co-founded in Romania in 2010, an ethical operation employing workers near the Danube Delta. Both projects share Roberto's commitment to farming first.
Emma's leadership of Di Filippo is documented and current. She is the face of the estate in contemporary trade press and the primary contact for the winery's import and distribution relationships. The estate she leads has been certified organic for over thirty years and biodynamic for nearly twenty.
Trade Profile
"The family estate is now run by Emma Di Filippo and her two sons Francesco and Filippo Franchi, a story of charm and determination at one of Umbria's most distinctive organic and biodynamic properties."
Production
Two Sagrantinos, One Grape
The estate's flagship wine, produced from 100% Sagrantino from the Cannara vineyards. Prolonged traditional maceration extracts the full complement of the grape's formidable polyphenols, followed by 18 to 24 months in barriques and tonneaux (small French oak vessels) before bottle aging completes the DOCG's mandatory 33-month total. Only 6,000 bottles per year, approximately 500 cases, make this one of the most genuinely scarce Sagrantino expressions in the appellation.
The wine requires time. It is not an early-drinking proposition. The 2018 vintage, elegant and complex from cool September harvest conditions, will be approachable from 2028–2030 and drinking at its peak through 2030–2045.
The Etnico bottling is Di Filippo's approachable-entry Sagrantino, same grape, same organic and biodynamic vineyard, shorter maceration, 12 months in wood rather than 18–24. At 10,000 bottles per year it is more available and more forgiving for list placement. It fulfills the same DOCG regulations as the flagship but is designed as "a softer wine that is more accessible as a Sagrantino to the general consumer."
Both wines qualify for the Montefalco Sagrantino DOCG designation. The distinction is one of scale and philosophy: the flagship for collectors and serious cellarers, the Etnico for the sommelier who wants to introduce a table to Italy's most tannic grape on friendlier terms.
The Table Story
"This comes from a 30-hectare estate in Cannara, Umbria, where the winemaking philosophy is built around draught horses and geese. Roberto Di Filippo, who Italian journalists call l'enologo horse whisperer, ploughs his vineyards with horses on five hectares, uses geese to clean and fertilize the soil, and has been certified organic since 1994, biodynamic since 2008. His sister Emma runs the estate today alongside her two sons."
"Sagrantino is Italy's most tannic grape. Not anecdotally, measurably. It contains more polyphenols than any of the 25 most popular global varieties, twice the tannin of Cabernet Sauvignon or Nebbiolo. Monks used it as communion wine for centuries because the polyphenols prevented spoilage. The name probably comes from sagra or sacrestia, it's a liturgical grape. The first written record is 1598. They make 6,000 bottles of the flagship per year. Your guests are going to remember this wine."
Inquire About Di Filippo
Exclusive US importer. 6,000 bottles per year of the flagship Sagrantino. Available to trade accounts through The Italian Connection.
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