Mani di Luna "La Cupa" Rosso di Torgiano 2017

Press 2 • February/March 2026 Direct Press Selection

Mani di Luna is a project in the Torgiano DOC of Umbria, started in 2012 by Rocco, Alessandro, and Simone: three friends who bonded over rock music and the potential for natural agronomy to revitalize crops and soils. They work with 7.5 hectares of vines in a region where ancient Etruscans did the same. All the work is certified organic and done by hand, with a lot of biodynamic methods and preparations in use — hence the winery name Mani di Luna, aka 'Hands of the Moon.'

"La Cupa" is from a single vineyard of Sangiovese on sandstone and calcareous marl. It's foot trod in an old vertical press, then aged in a mix of old French oak and concrete for three years. Umbria, to those familiar with the wines of Paolo Bea, is a region that arguably does big tannic reds better than anywhere else. "La Cupa" is no exception, with complex layers of grippy, earthy, mouth-coating tannin that manages to be refreshing and invigorating instead of fatiguing and astringent. The bottle age on this shows with lots of dark, sagey, foresty tertiary notes. But on top are notes of black cherry, Earl Grey tea, tarragon, and a surprising mineral clarity that cuts through the core and finish of this hefty, rugged red. Bottled during a waning moon with minimal sulfur. Jonathan Kemp