Musco Cave
Wine tasting
Tour of the Etruscan Cave to discover the history of our territory and the Palazzone Farm.
Food and wine experience and exploration in the ancient Grotta del Musco on the borders of Umbria, Tuscany and Tuscia.
An origin lost in time
The chestnut forest at the top of the hill hides and preserves the ancient Etruscan Grotto. The journey through the small path leading to the Grotto introduces the discovery of the past, the events, traditions and transformations that today represent our identity, which we want to share through activities and experiences! The history of the Cave begins with fire, when 600 thousand years ago the ancient volcanoes “Vulsini” with their activity generated the rocks from which small plateaus surrounded by steep slopes were born. Much later timeless cities such as Orvieto, Pitigliano and Bagnoregio were built here.
The etruscans and the art of wine
We come to the period between the ninth and third centuries B.C. This is the time of the Etruscans who brought to Italy, particularly between Umbria, Latium and Tuscany, the cultivation of vines using as real cellars some cavities obtained thanks to the malleability of tuff. In some cases the development of the caves took place on three levels: a first level on the surface where the vinification of the grapes took place, a second level for the fermentation of the musts and finally a third level in depth for the maintenance of the wines.
A family story
Our cave has always been there, a witness to what has been a constant in the Orvieto area for millennia, wine. In the 1970s, following the purchase of the farm, we used it as a wine cellar, for curing cold cuts and keeping wine for our family, and we, children, were captivated by the charm of this place, emblem of an ancient history! Wine in those days was organic, eco-friendly, not by choice but by simple custom. Same technique for both white and red wine: the “tina,” fermentations with the skins, hand pressing, chestnut barrels (the wood of our forests). The place was fundamental; the cave dug in the tuff under the woods, where the darkness and humidity were always those that two thousand years earlier, had accompanied some Etruscan warrior to eternal rest.
From the cave, the idea of a unique wine
Then everything changed. Modern winemaking, quickly, in the time of the growth and death of a vine, turned everything upside down. It made us forget stories, tools and customs rooted in centuries. With “Musco” we just wanted to put back on our feet what we experienced with great luck; we dedicated a piece of vineyard to it, mixing on the row the Procanico, the Verdello and the Malvasia as was the custom, to give birth to the wine already with the imprint of the character of the blend. We put back into use the old hand press that after decades is still able to make the gear “tick” and we fixed the flywheel pump. We found Antonio, a passionate cooper, an artist rather than a craftsman, and together we chose chestnut boards to rebuild the barrels. Then everything was done as it once was, simply following instinct more than technique, memory more than chemistry, passion more than protocol. “Musco” is not just a wine but the desire of those who with awareness, knowledge and ancient tools want to keep alive the tale of a timeless history.
