Etruscan Age

The name of the Etruscan town was Velzna, almost "vina" ("vine" in the Etruscan language), that - as the latest studies confirm - coincides with Oina and, therefore, with Oinarea, the town where wine flows recalled by the pseudo-Aristotle. If the original name of things really represented their essence, the soul of wine would have reserved a very particular treatment to Orvieto. Orvieto white wine, therefore, has very ancient origins. The Etrurians excavated cellars in the tuffaceous massif typical of this area and they used to leave their wine here to ferment for several months thus getting an aroma with a sugary residue that made it special. It was traded both by land and across the rivers Paglia and Tiber. The Etruscans and the Romans exported it up to Gaul. Later, it was produced in the papal lands and it was protected by the Church that used it for masses (Pope Paul III loved it).