Ristorante Enoteca L'Alchimista

Ristorante Enoteca L'Alchimista sits right on Piazza del Comune, the main square of Montefalco, the hilltop town at the heart of Sagrantino wine country. It is among the best-known places in town to pair traditional Umbrian cooking with the powerful local red, and its terrace tables on the square are a fine spot to take in Montefalco's medieval centre. As the enoteca tag suggests, wine is central: the list is built around Sagrantino di Montefalco - the dense, tannic, age-worthy red made from the indigenous Sagrantino grape - with Montefalco Rosso, Grechetto and Trebbiano Spoletino alongside, and knowledgeable guidance from the floor. The kitchen cooks to match. Strangozzi al Sagrantino, the hand-rolled pasta dressed in a sauce enriched with the local wine, is the signature; stringozzi with black truffle brings the regional tuber to the table; and beef braised slowly in Sagrantino is a hearty showcase of how the wine works in the pot as well as the glass. Cured meats and seasonal dishes complete the menu. The dining room and terrace are relaxed and welcoming, with a comfortable noise level and a casual dress code. L'Alchimista serves lunch and dinner, roughly noon to 2:30PM and 7PM to 10PM, and closes Tuesday. Prices are moderate, good value given the cooking and the cellar. Because Montefalco draws steady wine-tourism traffic, booking ahead is advisable for dinner, weekends and the autumn harvest period, and a terrace table is worth requesting in fair weather. First-time visitors should order the strangozzi al Sagrantino with a glass of the namesake red to understand why the dish and the wine belong together.