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Aleatico di Gradoli
Red, sweet, strong wine, sometimes fortified but also of naturally high alcoholic grade.
Available in 3 types:
Aleatico di Gradoli
Aleatico di Gradoli liquoroso
Aleatico di Gradoli liquoroso riserva
Colour:
Dark, bright garnet red colour with purple highlights and violet tones.
Flavour:
A delicately spiced, distinctive aroma accompanied by a fruity, zesty, mellow, soft, velvety, sweet flavor.
Characteristics:
It has a minimum alcohol content of 12 percent. with its precious bouquet of musk-rose, Garnet red, with violet tints; fine aroma, fresh, fruity. Also vinified in a fortified dessert version. in its liquorous variety of soft sweet taste is perfect to go along with dry desserts; The liqueur wine has a more or less intense garnet red colour, sometimes with violet reflections, a spiced, delicate, distinctive aroma and a full, sweet, harmonious, pleasing flavour. It has a minimum alcohol content of 17.5 percent.
Recommended use:
Only knowledgeable connoisseurs are aware of the wine and its qualities. In its liquor-like version is highly recommended to accompany cakes, pastries, desserts and can be used in chocolate-cream pastries. It is produced in sweet, liqueur, and liqueur reserve versions and goes well with sweet biscuits or the local hazelnut
pastries so typical of the Viterbo area. It is also an excellent meditation wine. It’s served at temperature of 16 C in crystal goblets.
Additional information:
This is unique among the wines produced in Lazio, a quality wine made completely fro Aleatico grapes in limited quantities. The production area lies in a group of villages and towns north of the large Bolsena Lake: Gradoli, Grotte di Castro, San Lorenzo Nuovo and part of Latera. The Aleatico kind was introduced into Italy from Greece in remote times and it found a highly favorable habitat first in Apulia, where it still makes an important contribution to the region's output of wines.
The area is enchanting from the standpoint of landscape but it is all too limited from the aspect of wine production. The Aleatico variety thrives within that zone, with its particular soil and microclimate, but it does not do well in surrounding districts. That factor has limited output to such an extent that it is extremely difficult to expand sales on many markets.
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Aprilia DOC
Red, white and rose’.
Available in 3 varieties:
Aprilia red merlot
Aprilia white trebbiano / semi-sweet
Aprilia rose sangiovese
REDS
Colour:
The Merlot variety with a fairly transparent garnet and a tendency to a more intense red when aged; the San Giovese type presents a rather peculiar red color with orange highlights.
Flavour:
The red Merlot Aprilia typical bouquet has a strong wine perfume, a full, harmonious and mellow taste. The San Giovese has a lively soul with a its taste is dry, fragrant and alcoholic.
Characteristics:
The red Merlot of Aprilia is medium-bodied with a minimum alcholoic content of 12 C, the other Aprilia DOC comes from good quality San Giovese vines. Presents a minimum alchoholic content of 11,5 C
Recommended use:
The Merlot Aprilia is a must with roasted white meats, grilled and stewed red meats, poultry and ideal for coniglio alla cacciatore (Rabbit cooked to the ‘hunter way’). Normally served at 18 C in crystal goblets. The red Sangiovese Aprilia DOC is a perfect match for sausage products, pasta with fresh sauces, egg dishes, hot fish soup. Can be used with any kind of food. It is served at a temperature of 10 C in crystal goblets.
WHITE
Colour:
White Aprilia DOC presents a light, straw yellow color,
Flavour:
Good acidity, delicate and harmonious, especially when young with a characteristic wine perfume.
Characteristics:
The white Trebbiano di Aprilia is subtle, with a minimum alcholoic content of 11 C and Maximum two years, standing.
Recommended use:
The white Aprilia is a good mate for pasta with more delicate sauces like the vegetables sauces; also good with fish fries, mussels ‘alla marinara’ (to the seaman way). Also ideal with hors d'oeuvres, vegetable puree, and eggs. The rose is best enjoyed young on similar dishes as the white. Serve at 49º Fahrenheit, 10º Celsius in crystal goblets.
Additional information:
The Pontine Marshes represent a unique case in the field of Italian wine production. The production area for the Aprilia DOC wines lies in the coastal area south of Rome within the northeastern Pontino’s territories in the municipalities of Aprilia, Cisterna, Latina e Nettuno. Three wines are made here: A dry red from Merlot a dry rose’ from Sangiovese and a dry white from Trebbiano. The named grape must make up at least 95 percent of the grapes used. The district possesses of extremely fertile terrains but until the early years of the current century they were entirely useless from an agricultural standpoint.
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Atina DOC
Red
Available as red and red Cabernet, both dry.
Colour:
The two red wines under this name present an intense ruby color which intensifies with ageing.
Flavour:
The aroma is the typical fruity background typical of this vine. The taste is aromatic, full bodied, dry and sometimes with a pleasant and refreshing herbal background. The bouquet is with fruit nose, peculiar of this vineyard.
Characteristics:
The alcohol content is on average 12-12,5%. Vine variety requirements for this appellation's area change according to type. Type Rosso: Cabernet sauvignon, 50%; Syrah, 10%; Merlot,10%; Cabernet franc,10%; other local non-aromatic red varieties, up to 20%. Type Cabernet: Cabernet sauvignon and Cabernet franc, 85%; other local non-aromatic red varieties, up to 15%.
Recommended use:
The Atina DOC is well matched with first courses and robust dishes based on both white and red meats. Particularly recommended on game, the Atina should be served at 18-20°C in ample glasses and within two years from the vintage.
Additional information:
This wine is called after the ancient city of Atina, probably most imposing of Samnite bastions; the ancient town of Atina was first mentioned by Virgil, who included it among the five Latium cities that were allies of Turno against Aeneas. The Latin poet called the city Atina Potens (meaning powerful). Atina was conquered by the Romans in the 3rd century BC and became, first, a prefecture, and later, a colony and a municipality.
The barbarian invasions, which followed the decline of the Roman Empire, brought with them destruction and plunder. But Atina flourished again in the Middle Ages, only to be raised to the ground in a tremendous earthquake in 1349. After the earthquake, the city was reconstructed. It was in the 19th century that Pasquale Visocchi, a local agronomist who had learned the secrets of the trade in France, had the intuition to plant Cabernet and Merlot vines in the alluvial marls surrounding Atina. The results were excellent right from the start and Atina has since been blessed with great wine vintage after vintage.
But apart from this unusual grape in this part of Italy, the production methods have been unchanged for centuries. Most local families plant enough vines to make about 1,000 liters, about a year's supply for the average family consumption. People never grew grapes for business, but only for making their own wine. Simple home-made wines that are created with the most simple of equipment have a charm all of their own, and a charm that you can never find unless you go to where they are made.
Atina is a new DOC that covers the area around the village and it's called Atina DOC. All over Italy small producers have formed co-operatives and are now marketing their wines themselves instead of selling their grapes to big companies. In the past ten years or so, increasing attention has been paid to new methods of production and ageing techniques, allowing the wine of Atina to gain recognition in the domestic market and win the D.O.C. appellation.
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Bianco Capena DOC
White
Available in two following main types:
White capena dry /lightly sweet
White capena Superior /dry lightly sweet
Colour:
The Bianco Capena has a more or less intense straw yellow color
Flavour:
A lightly spiced, delicate, distinctive and pleasing aroma and a dry, slightly sweetish, pleasing flavor.
Characteristics:
It has a minimum alcohol content of 11 percent, with an average of 11,5%. If it reaches 12 it is classified as ‘superior’. The better variety earns the “superior” label. It is a delicate wine, to be consumed in the first year of production. White, Dry, slightly aromatic; also vinified medium-sweet.
Recommended use:
The Bianco Capena gives its very best with dishes such as some of the main courses in the Roman cuisine: spaghetti all’Amatriciana, Carbonara, artichokes Roman style, ray soup. Fantastic with special delicatessen such as lake fish and frogs.
Additional information:
In the time of the Romans, Bianco Capena wine was called Bianco Feronia, taken from the nymph of the same name, who offered herself in ritual sacrifices. The zone of production has an ancient vine-growing tradition, so much so that Horace and Virgil glorified the prosperous vineyards of Capena, devoted not only to growing grapes but also to growing olives, grains and flowers.
Cicero did not hesitate to declare, “If you want to see fertile vineyards, go to Capena.” The production area includes Capena, and partially Fiano, Morlupo and Castelnuovo di Porto. Every year Capena celebrates the October “grape-harvest” festival, in honor of these grapes, still beautiful and golden as in ancient times.
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Castelli Romani DOC
Red , white and rosè .
Many varieties avalaible:
Castelli romani red / semi-sweet / sparkling
Castelli romani red semi-sweet sparkling
Castelli romani red novello
Castelli romani white semi-sweet / sparkling
Castelli romani rose’ / semi-sweet / sparkling
WHITE:
Colour:
The white is straw yellow
Flavour:
White Castelli Romani is fruity with an intense flavor, reminding the grape fermentation as in the novello variety. The taste is fresh, harmonic, dry sometimes sparkling and/or agreeable.
Characteristics:
Castelli Romani DOC comes in three basic varieties: Red, White , Rose’; there are also a Vinified in dry, semi-dry, sparkling, and novello versions.
The white Castelli Romani DOC has a minimum alcoholic con tent of 10.5%. The grape varieties that eventually made it through this natural selection are Malvasia di Candia and Malvasia del Lazio, as well as several varieties of Trebbiano (white grapes) for the white Castelli Romani.
Recommended use:
The white Castelli Romani is extremely versatile and matches well all meals except those with a really strong taste.
RED:
Colour:
The red is pink more or less intense, sometimes with a ruby red color. The contact of the skins gives to the red Castelli Romani some slight violet reflections; the pink rose’ version is a serious rosé wine, salmon to red-brick in color.
Flavour:
The red has a fruity, intense, winery flavor with fresh, harmonic, dry, sometimes sparkling and/or agreeable taste. The rose’ Castelli Romani comes with crisp and intense aromas and flavors of red berries accented with fennel.
Characteristics:
The red Castelli Romani DOC is produced from a selection of Sangiovese, Merlot and Montepulciano grapes, cultivated in our vineyards in the area of Castelli Romani doc.
It is through various combinations of these grapes that the most famous Latium D.O.C. wines are obtained. Yet, in spite of their success, these D.O.C. wines have not quite managed to fully defeat all those other wines that go by the generic name of Castelli wines and that still enjoy great popularity in the Eternal City.
Recommended use:
The red is very versatile and goes with every meal but it matches very well with red meat and venison.
Additional information:
Castelli Romani are the most famous wines of the region and comprise the following appellations: Colli Albani; Colli Lanuvini; Frascati; Marino; Montecompatri Colonna; and Velletri. The varieties produced here are white, red and rosé, all in dry, smooth, and sparkling versions, and red only, a Novello. The production area includes Albano Laziale, ariccia, Castelgandolfo, Ciampino, Frascati, Genzano, Grottaferrata, Lanuvio, Marino, Monteporzo Catone, Nemi, Rocca di Papa, Roccapriora, Velletri, Zagarolo, Cori, and in part, Ardea, Artena, Montecompatri, Pomezia and Rome itself.
The first and foremost reason why the wines of Castelli are so good is that the soil in this area, to the south-east of Rome, is volcanic and therefore rich in potassium. The climatic conditions too are extremely favorable and have led to a natural selection of the vines that were once grown on these hills.
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Cerveteri DOC
Red , white and rosè .
Again, like the Castelli Romani, the Cerveteri wines are available in several types:
Cerveteri red semi-sweet
Cerveteri red novello
Cerveteri red dry
Cerveteri white dry / lightly sweet / semi-sweet / sparkling
Cerveteri rose’ / sparkling
RED :
Colour:
The red Cerveteri is an intense ruby color.
Flavour:
The red Cerveteri is strong, dry, sapid and steady, with a slightly bitter aftertaste.
Characteristics:
The Cerveteri red (Rosso) is obtained from a combination of the most classic red-grape varieties of central Italy, Sangiovese, Montepulciano and Cesanese. The red variety is a hearty wine and the specific blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese grapes, with a certain percentage of the Cesanese strain allow it to be refined in order to bring its characteristics out to the full.
WHITE:
Colour:
From light straw to golden yellow
Flavour:
Dry, full and harmonic taste with winey, pleasant and soft flavor.
Characteristics:
11.0% minimum alcohol content, Cerveteri white is a robust, fully-flavored wine with a good alcohol content.
Recommended use:
The Red:
The red is well matched with fresh cold cuts, pasta dishes with robust and intense rural sauces, also with lamb in the hunter way (agnello alla cacciatore), grilled pork liver with herbs ( fegatelli di maiale alla griglia). Also recommended with barbequed meats, grilled or roasted kid, mutton and grilled chicken and should always be drunk with the first two years from the vintage.
The White:
The Cerveteri white is excellent accompanying blue fish (pesce azzurro), or fresh water fish from local lakes, fried artichokes, corgettes and aubergines. Good also with white fish with sauces and several types of omelettes, but always within one year from the vintage. It goes also well with pasta or rice in sauce and baked or roast saltwater fish.
Well associated with all seafood and light first courses in general, should be served at: 8 to 10°C.
Additional information:
This wine goes all the way back to the ancient Etruscan civilization where it is shown in the frescoes of their tombs and in the amphorae found on archaeological sites. In fact, Cerveteri wine, both red and white, has always been produced in the northernmost part of the province of Rome, a district inhabited in ancient times by the Etruscans that is famous for its tombs. Small percentages of Tocai and Verdicchio, varieties that were introduced into the district in recent decades, are combined with the classic breeds cultivated throughout the entire winemaking area of Latium, Trebbiano and Malvasia, in the production of Cerveteri Bianco.
The Cerveteri rose’ presents a lovely pink color, more or less intense, harmonius and delicate with a fruity aroma. The rose’ is a good friend of cold cuts, light soups, fresh cheeses, egg-based dishes especially within one year from the vintage.
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Cesanese DOC
Red
Many varieties available:
Cesanese del piglio / semi-sweet / sweet /dry / sparkling
Cesanese di affile / sparkling / semi-sweet / sweet dry
Cesanese di olevano romano semi-sweet
Cesanese di olevano romano sparkling semi-sweet
Cesanese di olevano romano dry / sweet /sparkling
Cesanese del piglio spumante / dry / semi-sweet /sweet
Cesanese di affile spumante dry / semi-sweet / sweet
Cesanese di olevano romano spumante dry / semi-sweet / sweet
Cesanese DOC : A red-wine grape of ancient origin, Ruby red with tendency to maroon when aged. With Delicate bouquet and soft, mellow, bitterish and slightly acidulous taste; ranges from dry to sweet and is vinified still and sparkling. The Cesanese wines are good looking reds with an intense ruby-red ton with tendency to maroon when aged. A native of Lazio, Cesanese produces three energetic, perfumed and spicy red wines varieties.
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Cesanese D'Affile
Red
Colour:
Intense ruby-red colour with a tendency to change to maroon when aged.
Flavour:
The bouquet is characteristic and delicate, with a mellow, slightly acidulous taste.
Characteristics:
The minimum alcoholic content is 12%, The Cesanese d’Affile has smaller fruit background than the (relatively) more common Cesanese Commune resulting in richer, more complex wines. Alcohol 12%-14% aging, 2 to 5 years,
Recommended use:
It suits well the main courses with meat-based sauces, all meats in general and mellowed sausages in particular but delicious with barbeque when at least one year old. Serve at 64º Fahrenheit, 18º Celsius opening the bottle at least two hours before serving.
Additional information:
One variety, the Cesanese d'Affile is one of the three DOC wines of Latium derived from the Cesanese variety, for which this particular part of Italy represents an ideal habitat. In the still flourishing tradition of the Roman inn, the Cesanese di Affile, along with that of Olevano, enjoys its peak moment at the beginning of each year when it is awaited with great expectation and received with enormous appreciation by a clientele that prefers it sweet, or at least sweetish, in combination with the most classic dishes of the popular cooking. The area of production of the Cesanese d’Affile includes the towns of Affile, Roiate and Arcizzano.
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Cesanese Del Piglio
Red
Colour:
Shows a brilliant ruby red color and nuances of ruby red, moderate transparency.
Flavour:
Soft and slightly bitter with a typical delicate aroma.
Characteristics:
Cesanese del Piglio is produced in the communal territories of Piglio, Serrone, Acuto, Anagni and Paliano and is made from Cesanese di Affile and/or Cesanese Commune grapes. The alcohol content can vary 12% - 14% according to ageing. It is produced considerably in advance in comparison to other wines, a sort of "ancestor" of the spring wines.
Recommended use:
Tradition in the countryside insists that it must be available when a hog is slaughtered and hams, "lonze" (cured fillet of pork), sausages and blood puddings are made. While the “secco” or dry version of the wine is excellent because of its substance, elegance and capacity for aging, the Dolce or sweet and Abboccato or sweetish versions are highly popular. Always racked precociously -as early as the end of November. Also great with Roman pecorino cheese, "coppiette" meat balls, sausage from Monte San Biagio, Roman gnocchi, bucatini all'amatriciana, pasta carbonara, pajata, oxtail, fettuccine ciociare, stew, saltimbocca, spring lamb, goat and mutton, doughnuts, sour black cherry tart.
Additional information:
Can be considered the ancestor of the "novelli" or nouveaux wines, which it resembles in that it goes exceptionally well with chestnuts.
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Cesanese di Olevano Romano
Red
Colour:
The colour is very similar if not the same as in the Cesanese D’Affile, a strong ruby-red which gets maroon after ageing.
Flavour:
Mellow taste, slightly bitter, typical of soft, distinctive of grapes. It can be dry, semi-sweet or sweet according to the type of wine.
Characteristics:
Minimum alcoholic content of 12%
Recommended use:
The dry type is lovely with the main courses served with white sauces and roasted poultry. The sweet and semi-sweet types with desserts and fruit tarts.
Additional information:
The Olevano Romano Cesanese is produced in the Arcinazzo hills, slightly to the south of the Cesanese di Affile territory. Olevano is obtained almost entirely from Cesanese di Affile, a local clone of Cesanese Comune that can also be used in the grape mixture. In the still flourishing tradition of the Roman inn, the Cesanese di Olevano Romano, along with that of Affile, enjoys its peak moment at the beginning of each year when it is awaited with great expectation and received with enormous appreciation by a clientele that prefers it sweet, or at least sweetish.
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Circeo DOC
Red , white and rosè .
Available in many varieties:
Circeo red / semi-sweet / sparkling
Circeo red novello
Circeo sangiovese
Circeo white
Circeo white / semi-sweet / sparkling
Circeo rose’ / semi-sweet / sparkling
Circeo sangiovese rose’ / semi-sweet / sparkling
RED
Colour:
Red Circeo with a clear ruby red color. The rose’ is somewhat intense rosé with purplish highlights.
Flavour:
The red Circeo is winey, dry or agreeable, full, harmonic, tannic and very distinctive. The novella type has a fruity persistent and distinctive flavor and a fresh, harmonic, well balanced, round, lively taste.
The rose’ is refined, pleasant, dry and smooth, well-balanced, delicate, velvety, serving temperature, 12-14 C.
Characteristics:
The minimum alcohol content for the red is 11,5% and 11% for the rose’.
Recommended use:
Fantastic with roasted white meat or grilled or stewed red meats. The rose’ is very eclectic and recommended on a wide range of seafood dishes but also to accompany cold meats, vegetable soups, Roman ricotta and the stewed Roman ox tail.
WHITE
Colour:
Pale, transparent light yellow color.
Flavour:
The normal variety is dry or agreeable, harmonic, sapid, fresh very distinctive and soft. The white Circeo obtained from trebbiano grapes is also dry, fresh, sapid but with characteristic aftertaste and quite soft.
Characteristics:
For this delicate white the minimum alcohol content is between 10,5 up to 11,5 C.
Recommended use:
The white Circeo is lovely with most meals but especially recommended with seafood.
Additional information:
The Circeo main production areas are close to the coast of southern Lazio between Latina and Terracina especially around San Felice Circeo, Sabaudia and Terracina. Recently the Circeo D.O.C. has sought to conquer markets by increasing its product range and by improving the quality of wines produced by winegrower cooperatives. Today the label Circeo DOC wines includes white, red, rosé, Novello, Sangiovese, and Sangiovese rosé. However, the most well-know variety is maybe the white Circeo. The production areas include the entire southern Tyrrhenian coast between Latina and Terracina with san Felice Circeo, Sabaudia and the hills around Terracina. According to legend, the sorceress Circe, described in Homer's Odyssey, used to live on this promontory in the south of Latium, and used a local wine to seduce the hero Ulysses. The promontory of Circeo is situated halfway between Anzio and Gaeta, guarding the western limit of the Bay of Terracina. It rises between the sea and a plain where grapevines are known to have always grown abundantly, especially in antiquity, when this plain constituted one of Rome's most important sources of wine. After the fall of the Roman Empire, the area to the north of the promontory turned into marshland, damaging its production of wine. The area was successively reclaimed between 1926 and 1935 and cultivated with vineyards for the first time by Italians returning home from Africa. This led to the recovery of Circeo's winegrowing activities. In that period, many colons were brought in from Romagna, Veneto and Friuli to settle in the land reclaimed by the marshlands. They brought with them from back home their winemaking traditions and new varieties of grapevines, among which valid varieties of grapes like Trebbiano, Sangiovese, and Merlot eventually prevailed.
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Colli Albani DOC
White
Four main varieties known:
Colli albani novello
Colli albani dry / abbocato / semi-sweet / sweet
Colli albani Superior dry / lightly sweet / semi-sweet / sweet
Colli albani spumante / dry / semi-sweet / sweet / Superior
Colour:
Ranges from straw yellow to golden yellow with white highlights
Flavour:
It has a dry, slightly bitter fragrance, subtle, vinous, strains of sour ‘golden’ apple with no aftertaste at all.
Characteristics:
The minimum alcohol content is 11,5%
Recommended use:
The Colli Albani wine should be drunk young when it is still capable of fully expressing all the fragrance of the mildly sour grapes. It does not age fine. Its delicately fresh flavor makes it perfect for accompanying light antipasti made with fresh cheeses and mild delicatessen meats or in combination with sea food. Additionally, it goes well with vegetable soups and pasta dishes topped with a meat sauce and also with everything from Fusilli with ricotta and spinach, bringing out all the natural sweetness of the flavor, to tortelloni with prosciutto (with ham) and vegetables, a dish with a very distinctive flavor, with lean hors-d’oeuvres, mild cheese, salami and spaghetti alla Carbonara.
Additional information:
Its production area is around Albano Laziale, Ariccia, Castelgandolfo, Pomezia, Lanuvio and some of the hills surrounding Rome which have been cultivated for centuries even earlier than the imperial era. Great writers of Imperial Rome described the wines of these hills, which were highly appreciated at the tables of Rome’s nobles. The wine they called Albano is without doubt the ancestor of the Castelli Romani wines in general and the modern Colli Albani in particular. Many chroniclers often speak of an ”Albano“ wine very popular at the wealthy patrician tables, but also during the era of Albalonga, the ancient and older metropolis rival to Rome. The hills were the site of the Latin community of Albalonga, which existed before the foundation of Rome. After the Romans crushed and annexed Albalonga, they regularly celebrated the feast of Jupiter Latiaris on the hills by pouring libations of "golden wine."
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Colli della Sabina DOC
Red and white .
Avalaible in many varieties:
Colli della sabina red novello
Colli della sabina red / semi-sweet / sparkling
Colli della sabina rose’ / semi-sweet / sparkling
Colli della sabina white / sparkling
Colli della sabina bianco spumante dry / semi-sweet / sweet
Colli della sabina rosso spumante / dry / semi-sweet / sweet
RED
Colour:
The red is a vivid ruby red.
Flavour:
Characteristic winey with marked wine parfume, intense, dry, round and balanced, from dry ad agreeable, bodied.
Characteristics:
Minimum alcohol content 11.0%
Recommended use:
Remarkable on grilled meat and all the range of traditional main courses with meat sauces.
WHITE
Colour:
The white is straw yellow sometimes with light golden notes
Flavour:
Soft, distinctive, with a taste which reveals dry, delicate, harmonic notes, surely pleasant with gentle notes
Characteristics:
Minimum alcohol content 10.5%. Vine variety requirements for this appellation's area change according to type.
Type Bianco: Trebbiano toscano and/or Trebbiano giallo, 40%; Malvasia del Lazio and/or Malvasia di Candia, 40%; other local white varieties up to 20%.
Types Rosso and Rosato: Sangiovese 40-70%; Montepulciano 15-40%; other local red varieties, up to 30%.
Recommended use:
Especially with fresh water fish, delicate vegetable soups and with seafood especially fried.
Additional information:
The land of the ancient Sabines, once the enemies of Rome, extends between the modern provinces of Rome and Rieti. The vineyards are specifically in the area covering the hills stretching from north of Rome to the Umbrian border. In the '80s, local farmers came to realize that by improving the quality of their traditional wines (a red and a rosé made with Sangiovese and Montepulciano grapes and a white made with Trebbiano and Malvasia) they could improve and complement the overall supply of the products of their land. Thus they began concentrating on the improvement of their vineyards and cellars. The results have been very good and have allowed the winegrowers to sell their products on the domestic and international markets and to obtain a D.O.C. appellation for their wines in 1996.
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Colli Etruschi Viterbesi DOC
Red , white and rosè .
The Colli Etruschi Viterbesi is Latium DOC wine with the widest choice of varieties available:
Colli etruschi viterbesi red dry / semi-sweet / sparkling
Colli etruschi viterbesi grechetto red
Colli etruschi viterbesi red novello
Colli etruschi viterbesi red canaiolo
Colli etruschi viterbesi merlot
Colli etruschi viterbesi white dry / semi-sweet / sparkling
Colli etruschi viterbesi grechetto/ sparkling
Colli etruschi viterbesi moscadello / dry / sparkling / semi-sweet
Colli etruschi viterbesi moscatello passito
Colli etruschi viterbesi procanico / sparkling
Colli etruschi viterbesi rossetto dry / semi-sweet
Colli etruschi viterbesi rose’ / dry / semi-sweet / sparkling
Colli etruschi viterbesi sangiovese rose’ / semi-sweet / sparkling
Colli etruschi viterbesi violone
RED
Colour:
Red presents a ruby red more or less intense
Flavour:
Red distinctive, flavour more or less fruity and persistent typically fruity on the nose.
Characteristics:
The best wines in this appellation are the Canaiolo and Violone reds and the Greghetto and Procanico whites. The wines are usually made from single strains of international or national varieties of grapes. The most common strains found locally are: Procanico, Grechetto, Rossetto, Moscatello, Violone, Canaiolo and Merlot.
The Red minimum alcohol content varies from11.0% up to 12%
Recommended use:
The different typologies of Colli Etruschi Viterbesi make sure that its DOC wines reds, whites and rose’ can match virtually the entire range of Latium regional cuisines and specialties. Nevertheless, the white goes well with white roasted meats, lake fish and vegetable soups.
The red is ideal with cold-cut appetizers, first courses in tomato sauces, red meat and game.
WHITE
Colour:
White is light straw yellow
Flavour:
White soft, distinctive, dry, agreeable, harmonic, characteristic with a typically delicate bouquet.
Characteristics:
The best wines in this appellation are the Canaiolo and Violone reds and the Greghetto and Procanico whites. The wines are usually made from single strains of international or national varieties of grapes. The most common strains found locally are: Procanico, Grechetto, Rossetto, Moscatello, Violone, Canaiolo and Merlot. Minimum alcohol content for the white varieties is 10.0% up to 11%
Additional information:
Wine has been grown in the province of Viterbo, in Latium, since the Etruscan times, and it has always been one of the most important produces of this land. The Colli Etruschi Viterbesi production area is wide and includes the territories of nearly 30 towns and villages, of which Viterbo, Orte, Vetralla, Barbarano Romano, Vejano, Canino and Farnese are the most well-known. In the second half of the 20th century, more wine has been produced in the province of Viterbo than in all of Trentino or Sardinia. In spite of this, most consumers are not familiar with Viterbo wines. They used to be bought in large quantities by northern Italian winemakers and bottled as cheap wine de table. In the '70s, however, Viterbo winegrowers became more conscious of their wine and started recouping ancient traditions and valorizing local vine varieties that were on the verge of extinction.
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Colli Lanuvini DOC
White
The Colli Lanuvini is available in the following types:
Colli lanuvini dry / semi-sweet / Superior
Colour:
From light to dark straw
Flavour:
A round body, vinous, and a rather delicate and soft “golden apple” aroma which enhanced by the contrast with a slightly bitter trace in its taste, generally rather balanced and fresh.
Characteristics:
The Colli Lanuvini wine is produced from the classic varieties of the Castelli Romani: Malvasia Bianca and Puntinata, Trebbiano Verde and Giallo. Its minimum alcohol content is 11,5%
Recommended use:
Can be used with most kind of food and meals. It is ideal with any type of pasta, as well as vegetable purées and fish from the lakes. It is considered a “full-meal, white wine” and it is recommended with vegetable and fresh water, fish sauces, soups, fried fish, blue fish and fresh water fish either grilled or baked. Likewise other Castelli Romani wines, it well accompanies “difficult” dishes like egg-based preparations, asparagus, artichokes Roman style
Additional information:
The production area in the communal territories of Genzano and Lanuvio in the heart of the Castelli Romani district is small but with a deep-rooted tradition for wine-making in which most local families are involved in a way or another. Winemaking here is such an integral part of the inhabitants' daily lives that it was once usual joke for the men to say that “a woman was worth a determined number of casks of wine”. As in the case of the other wines of the Roman countryside, the Colli Lanuvini has had its cultured devotees since the days of ancient Rome and many of them have engaged in bouts of a literary nature over which of the Castelli wines is superior to all others.
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Cori DOC
Red and white .
The prestigious Cori is available in the following varieties:
Cori red
Cori white
RED
Colour:
The red has a ruby red color.
Flavour:
The red offers a vinous, pleasing, distinctive, lingering aroma. It has a dry, soft, velvety, zesty flavor. It’s persistent, with a lingering bouquet and fresh.
Characteristics:
The red one has a minimum alcohol content of 11.5-12%. In the Cori Rosso (red), which can be aged up to 2-3 years, the classic Montepulciano and Cesanese are combined with Nero Buono di Cori, a variety that is probably native to this area.
Recommended use:
The red Cori DOC is a very good match to roasted meats in general, with excellence alongside with red grilled or stewed meat with lighter sauces, and also with stewed sausages accompanied by vegetables.
WHITE
Colour:
White Cori has more or less intense straw yellow color.
Flavour:
The white Cori aroma is pleasing and distinctive and the flavor delicate, dry, slightly sweet or sweet, full-bodied and harmonious
Characteristics:
The white is delicate, dry to medium-dry, and medium-bodied. It has a minimum alcohol content of 11 percent and should be consumed within one year of production. Cori Bianco contains a high percentage of Bellone grapes (up to 30%). The variety is grown throughout Latium but it is usually employed in only small amounts in other wines.
Recommended use:
The suitable match for the white Cori DOC is with cold appetizers, pasta with fish sauces, fried fish and should be served always at cellar temperature (10 C) in a crystal goblet.
Additional information:
The hilly character of the terrain surrounding Cori is particularly adapted to the cultivation of vines and olives, which have always been, as they still are, the principal agricultural resources of the zone. The wines of Cori were served at the papal table and at the kings’ banquets, as products in which “everyone could trust.” It is a shame that the vast documentation gathering the innumerable words of praise and appreciation received by this wine over the course of centuries was lost in a fire which destroyed the municipal records of the town during the Second World War.
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Est! Est!! Est!!! Montefiascone
White
This excellent white is available as:
Est! est!! est!!! di Montefiascone / dry / lightly sweet / semi-sweet
Colour:
Today Est! Est! Est! di Montefiascone has a more or less intense straw yellow color with different tonalities of gold according to the location of production.
Flavour:
Deep flowers smell. The bouquet is dry, subtle and quite complex with a harmonious delicate persistency in its character, typical of the prevailing Malvasia. Not unusual to enjoy it sometimes with stronger notes of “golden apple” and aromatic aniseed. It tastes dry, sapid, ‘abboccato’ (semi-sweet) and a distinctively scented, lightly spiced aroma. Tangy and lasting. The semi-sweet type is mellower.
Characteristics:
The splendid position of the vineyards on the slopes of the volcanic cone of Lake Bolsena yield grapes that produce fine, elegant wines which are also well-structured and harmonious. Its common blends are with 65% Trebbiano grapes and 35% Malvasia di Candia. Montefiascone Est! Est!! Est!!! is produced in two varieties; dry and medium. Both wines are pale yellow with slightly different shades of intensity according to the process of vinification used, with or without the grape skins. A particularly interesting grape used for this wine is the “Rossetto”, a strain of yellow Trebbiano that enhances its peculiarity.
Minimum alcohol content is 11% up to 12%. It has no ageing capability.
Recommended use:
It is very enjoyable with hors’ d’oeuvres, pasta with fish sauces, fried fish, and lake fish too. Recommended also with ‘cacciatora’ sauce. (tomatoes, onions, rosmarine and garlic). The semi-sweet type is excellent with fruit. Best serving at 10-12°C in medium glades. Some examples of perfect match would be
Additional information:
What a peculiar name for one of the most famous wines of Latium. The name is evocative of tradition and legend, but the history of this wine has always been closely linked to the local events and culture of Montefiascone.
Tradition wants that in the year 1000 the Holy Roman Emperor Henry V marched on Rome at the head of a strong army to settle the frequent disagreements with Pope Pascal II. The Bishop Johan Defuk was one of the followers of the expedition but he apparently seemed more interested in the sightseeing and in commenting on local wines offered by the journey than politics.
He gave orders to his cupbearer, Martin, to go ahead of him in the region, keeping always one day in advance, and to select the best inns where good wine was served. When he reached Montefiascone, Martin found that the usual notice "Est!" chalked next to the door of the inn selected was wholly inadequate because the wine in the town was truly excellent. Since he had not arranged any other signal with his master, he decided to communicate his appreciation of the wine by writing Est! three times, adding an additional exclamation point each time.
The reputation of the wine was made on the day Bishop Defuk tasted the Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone. In love with the wine's taste and smoothness, the prelate sojourned on in the town for three days. At the end of his imperial mission, he returned to Montefiascone and remained there until his death.
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Frascati DOC
White
The Frascati, one of the most well-know Italian white wines and is available as:
Frascati (cannellino) sweet
Frascati dry / semi-sweet
Frascati Superior
Frascati spumante
Colour:
Frascati has a more or less intense straw yellow color.
Flavour:
It has a vinous aroma with a distinctive, intense and fruity, with a delicate fragrance of a slight flower scent. The flavor is zesty, soft, delicate and velvety. Reminiscent of pressed grapes.
Characteristics:
Grapes: 30% Trebbiano, 30% Malvasia, 10% Greco. With a variation in the residual sugars, various different types are produced: “sec,” “asciutto,” “amabile” and “canellino” (sweet). The minimum alcohol content is 11,5%. A “superiore” type is also produced. The novello wine has a more or less intense straw yellow color. Sometimes lively, with a minimum alcohol content of 10.5 percent. Best serving at 10-12°C in medium glades.
Recommended use:
Frascati reveals its best qualities with most kind of food but is special with oven spring lamb, ox tail ‘alla vaccinara’ and with vegetable soup. Excellent with seafood. It should be tried also with : "bucatini cacio e pepe", veil "alla fornara".
Additional information:
Frascati is undoubtedly amongst the most famous wines of Lazio and one of the most prized by the Romans. Its vineyards are found at Frascati, partly in Rome, Colonna, Montecompatri, Monteporzio Catone and Grottaferrata. The origin of the Frascati dates back to an age even more remote than the splendors of the Roman Empire, and it remains today one of the most famous Italian white wines available. It has enjoyed the favor of popes, kings and poets. Pope Gregory XVI never missed a day in drinking his “quartarolo scarso” (meagre quarter litre). In 1823 the Queen of England, during her journey to Rome, was so enthusiastic about this wine that she wanted it for her own court. Goethe called it “paradise.”
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Gennazzano DOC
White, also Novello; Red, also Novello .
Genazzano is available as:
Genazzano red / novello
Genazzano white dry / semi-sweet / novello
RED
Colour:
Lovely tonality of ruby red bright, vivid, of medium intensity.
Flavour:
Fresh and fragrant, with fruit notes, slightly bitter with a taste that is vivid, fresh and slightly sweet as well.
Characteristics:
Only one white and one red wine can be made under this appellation. The red can be made with Sangiovese and a small proportion of Cesanese, another typical grape variety grown here.
Recommended use:
White follows soon after the aperitifs, and accompanies the starters of any type, also light fish-based dishes of delicate type. The red is cheerful and lively companion of complex “primi piatti” (first dish, usually pasta or rice) with heavy, intense sauces, and grilled white and red
WHITE
Colour:
From straw yellow to gold with attractive greenish highlights
Flavour:
In few words we would say winey, fruity, flavor, fresh and soft with subtle lively, fresh taste, harmonious and still sweet.
Characteristics:
Only one white and one red wine can be made under this appellation. The white is obtained from a combination of Malvasia di Candia, Bellone and Bombino grapes.
Recommended use:
White follows soon after the aperitifs, and accompanies the starters of any type, also light fish-based dishes of delicate type.
Additional information:
Genazzano, The rolling hills here are covered with chestnut and olive trees. Genazzano is a very ancient town. This is the Land of Ciociaria hills comprised between Rome and Frosinone. Genazzano's isolated position gives this town a characteristic feel of intimacy, while the Sanctuary of the Miraculous Virgin makes it a peaceful, serene oasis. Its fertile countryside yields excellent wines and sundry fruit varieties. The area where Genazzano D.O.C. is produced extends between the provinces of Rome and Frosinone. Vast areas of Genazzano's territory are planted with vines that yield a highly prized wine despite stern competition from the Castelli and Olevano Romano wines produced in bordering territories. Winegrowing has always been one of the most important activities at Genazzano. Most of the town's inhabitants, in fact, have been making their living growing vines since the Middle Ages.
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Marino DOC
White also Superior and Spumante .
Marino is available as:
Marino dry / lightly sweet / semi-sweet / sweet
Marino Superior
Marino Superior / semi-sweet / lightly sweet / sweet
Marino spumante dry / lightly sweet / semi-sweet / sweet
Colour:
It ranges from a straw yellow to deep gold color if the wine is made with grape skin.
Flavour:
Has a slight apple aftertaste. and is typical of a Malvasia, smelling of golden apples and aniseed. White and sharp the Marino surprises for its peculiar and pungent personality, considerably persistent bouquet and typical bitter aftertaste loved by its admirers. Some people regarded Marino as a ‘copy’ of the more famous Frascati but in reality different climatic conditions make Marino a more vigorous wine with a bigger body and greater intensity than its nearby ‘cousin’ Frascati.
Characteristics:
Castelli’s tradition in making the wine presents a grape mixture consisting of Malvasia Rossa, Malvasia del Lazio, Trebbiano Toscano and a small percentage of Bonvino and Cacchione. In components and proportions, the formula might appear to copy that of Frascati but in reality each wine has a different and distinct personality. Although the Marino vineyards border those of Frascati, they are oriented toward the nearby sea and the climatic conditions are entirely different from those of all the other Castelli grape-growing districts.
Recommended use:
It makes a good accompaniment for the more savory dishes of South Pontino and Roman cuisine, including artichokes, which are notoriously difficult to match. It complement well most of South Pontino dishes but many believes that Marino’s best performances are with seafood, lean hors-d’oeuvres, fried mozzarella cheese and bread with ‘provatura’ cheese shell fish, peas and fresh broad beans stewed with any pasta variety and shape. Do look out for the Malvasia, especially Malvasia Superiore (Superior). A darker color and more palatable than Marino, it is ideal with fish and appetizers.
Additional information:
Marino wine is produced in the district of the same name and in the territory of Castelgandolfo and parts of the communal area of Rome. In a word, boisterous, Marino DOC is one of the 4 designated labels of the Alban Hills. It was always the traditional white wine for the classic Roman osterie (small unpretentious family-runned restaurants, very informal). According to people who know about these things the wine is easily drinkable (we'll vouch for that).
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Montecompatri Colonna DOC
White, also Superior .
This noble wine is available as:
Montecompatri-colonna dry / semi-sweet / sweet / sparkling
Montecompatri-colonna Superior / dry / lightly sweet / semi-sweet /sweet
Colour:
The maceration gives the wine a brilliant light or dark yellow color with greenish highlights and an extremely full body for a white wine.
Flavour:
Taste is soft, harmonic with its typical winy, delicate fragrance, pleasant and more or less aromatic
Characteristics:
Its alcoholic strength is on average around 11.5°C. If it exceeds 12,5°C is considered as Montecompatri Colonna “Superior”.
Recommended use:
The special vinification of the grapes produces a full-bodied taste especially suited to eggs, fish and vegetables. This heady white wine goes very well with fish dishes, seafood and vegetables such as artichokes, also on light starters, really lovely on omelettes with vegetables and the local specialty in seaside towns o South Pontino the spaghetti with clams. It is served at 10 C. Does not age well. Only the “Superior” type can be aged up to 3-4 years after vintage.
Additional information:
Until the sixties, the Montecompatri Colonna grapes were vinified on the skins, as was the practice throughout the Castelli Romani. That means that the must was left in contact with the grape skins, the technique followed in making red wines. The result was a wine with great impact on the palate but it was quite difficult to keep the wine. Initially, the wine was capable of arousing the enthusiasm of even the most finicky connoisseur but, a few days after the arrival of the full heat of summer, it would alter drastically.
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Moscato di Terracina
White
Colour:
Bright golden yellow with amber hues
Flavour:
Aromatic and persistent, typical of the wine species of origin, complex, where the mature yellow fruit pulp emerges, honey, dates, candied fruit and light vanilla. The taste in mouth is sweet and smooth, full, with good structure, full-bodied and very persistent.
Characteristics:
It is a dry and full-bodied flavor wine, much admired by wine experts for its intense and strong scent, almost unexpected presented with its typical clear straw-colored color. Actually, only the local soil and micro-climate of this part of southern Lazio allows such a tender vine to take root and grow in the rocky, harsh and sunny hills of Terracina. It is traditionally vinified with rinds, from which it is separated before loosing its best qualities. It comes up and refines at cold, but it ripens and rests in bottle. The sweet and velvety taste is intense, with a persistent fragrance, the pale yellow color with gold glares characterize this new DOC wine. To serve chilled (10-12°), at the end of the meal, better with cakes, dried fruit and cheeses, or plain, just to chat. Minimum alcoholic content: 14%
Recommended use:
The Muscat is a white wine that is excellent used also as aperitif for the dry and intense taste but when young, makes also a great match with fish-based dishes reaching its best, especially with shellfish and several types of delicate risottos. Once aged is the prince of dessert and meditation wines, sampled together with sweet dishes of a certain caliber, as well as mature and marbled cheeses and pâté de foie gras.
Additional information:
According to legend, the sorceress Circe inebriated Ulysses with the fragrance of this sweetish wine produced with Moscato di Terracina grapes. Its most characteristic feature is in fact its aromatic bouquet. So even the mythical Ulysses was fascinated by the delightful flavors of the wine of these lands in occasion of the mouth-watering banquets in the palace of Circe.
Nowadays the Pontine wine-producers are acquiring a well respected reputation nationally and internationally for the quality and high standards of their wines. After many years, the Circeo area obtained the D.O.C. title, thus assuring the right acknowledgement to wines produced in the area, recognizing the wine producers’ effort in discovering and developing a local variety of white muscatel growing on the dry hills around Terracina, known as Terracina Muscat. Local wines are very well represented by the celebrated dry Muscat of Terracina, a fresh, aromatic and fruit-tasting wine of the vineyards cultivate on these fertile lands.
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Nettuno DOC
Red, hite, rose’, also Novello .
Nettuno DOC wine is available as:
White dry/ sparkling rose’
Red dry also novello,
White Bellone or Cacchione dry or sparkling
RED
Colour:
Red is strong ruby-red colour.
Flavour:
Red Nettuno is tasteful, full, dry and harmonious.
Characteristics:
Red and rosé varieties obtained from Sangiovese, Merlot, and Trebbiano Toscano grapes, is part of the Nettuno D.O.C. appellation. A minimum alcohol content for the red is 12%.
Recommended use:
The red must be served at 16-18°C and is particularly recommended to accompany complex dishes such as white meat cooked in the oven, roasted lamb with potatoes in the oven, medium aged cheeses. The rose’ is ideal with cold cuts, minestrone (thick vegetables soups) and should be served at 12-14°C in large, open goblet.
WHITE
Colour:
White common light yellow with greenish highlight. The White “Cacchione” is golden yellow
Flavour:
White is plesant and characteristic with sweet fruits notes and a fresh, harmonious, dry taste.
White Cacchionea pleasant vineyard taste also bitterly fresh and harmonious.
Characteristics:
The ordinary white Nettuno has a minimum alcohol content of 11%, the white Cacchione of 11,5% and the red Nettuno 12%.
The characteristics of Cacchione have allowed it to survive competition from more resistant or profitable grape varieties through the decades. This grape yields a white wine known by the name of Nettuno Cacchione (or Bellone).
Recommended use:
It is an excellent match for mollusks, shellfish, seafood salads, squid stews, and codfish. Thanks to its structure, it can also be served with pasta timbales (Timballo), minestrone, lasagna, and fresh or slightly aged cheeses like Caciocavalo or Provola. . It is best served cold (8°C to 10°C) in a tulip-shaped, flared wine glass.
Additional information:
The hinterland of Nettuno, a small seaside resort on the Tyrrhenian coast south of Rome, has always been renowned for its fertility. This fertility is the product of the composition of the soil and a favorable microclimate created by the reflection of the sunrays on the surface of the sea and mitigating sea breezes. For centuries, this territory has been home to the splendid indigenous white grape variety of Cacchione (also known as Bellone), which thrives in its silicon-rich soil.
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Orvieto DOC
White
Available only as white wine in two main types:
Dry and semi-sweet, there is a superior type for the dry version.
Colour:
The dry variety is light straw yellow whilst the semi-sweet type is an intense golden color.
Flavour:
The taste is both dry with slightly bitter finish, or abboccato (semi-sweet), fine and delicate with a delicate and pleasant aroma with a bouquet that is subtle, fresh. The Orvieto Classico , a versatile table wine, the semi-dry variety is slightly lighter and delicately sweet and fragrant, while the dry variety has a soft taste, but a light hint of bitter.
Characteristics:
Historically one of the most famous whites in the whole of Italy it has managed to maintain its appeal by improving its basic make up with a substantial increase in the amounts of Grechetto grapes or other minor local strains such as Verdello and Reguccio.
It ages well up to three years either in bottle or flask. Its average alcohol content is 12%.
Recommended use:
All fish recipes the dry variety. All the meals, but especially vegetable purees the Amabile (semi-sweet). In addition it is ideal as an aperitif or with seasonal vegetables, white meats and fresh cheeses. It must be served at a temperature of 10 C in crystal goblets. Both dry and semi-sweet types should be drunk within 1 year of production.
Additional information:
The production area includes Orvieto and part of Viterbo and Castiglione in Teverina. Wine has been made at Orvieto since extremely remote times. The first inhabitants on the site, the Etruscans, understood that the special makeup of the tufaceous soil that is characteristic of the district was extremely favorable to the production of wine and the excavation of cellars where it could be preserved at length. Poets, writers and noted leaders of society repeatedly sang its praises. Physiologist Paolo Mantegazza described it as "liquid gold," because it was often served at the tables of popes, cardinals and aristocrats. Poet Gabriele D'Annunzio defined it as "the sun of Italy in a bottle" because of its fragrance, strength and color. In his will, Pope Gregory XVI ordered that his body first be washed with the wine of Orvieto before being buried. Today, it is without doubt one of the Italian white wines best known and appreciated throughout the world.
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Tarquinia DOC
Red , white and rosè .
The well known Tarquinia comes in several varieties:
Tarquinia white dry/sparkling, also Amabile white-semi-swet; Rose’ dry;
Tarquinia red dry/-Dr, also Novello and Amabile red-Sweet
RED
Colour:
The red is a ruby-coloured wine more or less intense.
Flavour:
The red’s aroma is fresh in intensity and peculiarity, quite winey, dry, sapid, harmonic with a well balanced and smooth, enveloping taste with delicate garnet dappling, an intense bouquet with overtones of cherries and blackberries and overall, a strong body.
Characteristics:
The red minimum alcohol content is 10,5%
Recommended use:
The red is a good friend of all types of meat and main courses with sauces based on meat.
WHITE
Colour:
The white is a soft, straw-colored yellow wine with green dapples.
Flavour:
The white Tarquinia and a subtle bouquet containing a hint of apples. A winey, pleasant, soft flavor and dry, full harmonic taste.
Characteristics:
The white minimum alcohol content is also 10,5%
Recommended use:
The white, dry Tarquinia is excellent with all fish recipes the dry variety. Also with all the meals, but especially vegetable purees the Amabile (semi-sweet).
Additional information:
Historically this wine goes back to the Etruscans, while its tradition is that of the Maremma and the farming and wine-making techniques used those most suitable for the patchwork of microclimates within the production area.
Tarquinia D.O.C. is one of those few Italian appellations that cover a territory that goes well beyond that of the city from which it borrows its name. This wine, in fact, is produced in a very wide area between the provinces of Rome and Viterbo. Tarquinia wines are produced along the coastal area that runs from Rome to Viterbo and is often called the lower Maremma or Maremma Laziale. This territory extends along the Tyrrhenian cost, it goes from Montalto di Castro to Fiumicino, and inland, it reaches the Monti Cimini to the northeast and the Monti della Tolfa to the northwest.
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Velletri DOC
Red also superior, white dry and spumante .
The Velletri comes in more than one variety:
Velletri red Reserve
Velletri red dry / semi-sweet
Velletri white / semi-sweet / sweet / Superior
Velletri bianco spumante dry / semi-sweet
RED
Colour:
Rather a vivid ruby red with rosy reflections and with a tendency toward garnet.
Flavour:
The aroma is typical of morello and raspberry, quite vinous and strong. The red tastes dry, sapid, moderately tannic but mellow with a full body and a bouquet that is persistent.
Characteristics:
A minimum alcoholic content of 12%, The grapevines of the red Velletri are: San Giovese, a type with different characteristics from place to place, which is a prolific variety in this area and produces a wine excellent if aged; the Montepulciano which produces a vigorous wine, wonderful if aged; Cesanese comune, a very common grapevine in Lazio, which produces a wine full of vitality, which drink well, sweet and perfect as aperitif.
Recommended use:
The novello (young wine) can match successfully any meal and kind of food.
WHITE
Colour:
From light to dark straw yellow with greenish highlights.
Flavour:
White: The flavour is dry or sweetish or sweet, full bodied, harmonious and velvety. The bouquet is pleasant, vinous and persistent, characteristic of Malvasia. The aroma presents a lovely “golden apple” tone, accompanied by aniseed and lemony taste. It is dry, sapid, and hearty with a slightly bitterish trace and a peculiar ferrous component. The bouquet is also considerably persistent and the aftertaste is slightly pungent.
Characteristics:
A minimum alcoholic content of 11,5%, and 12.5% percent in the “riserva” type.
It can be fully appreciated when young, not past its first year of ageing. It is also produced in a spumante variety. The “reserve” type has vinous, intense aroma and a clear fragrance when aged.
Recommended use:
Excellent with gnocchi made with semolina, stuffed marrow flowers and snails Roman style. It’s served at 10 C in crystal goblets. Reaches the best taste 1 year after the vintage. Best young and no more than 3 years after the vintage.
Additional information:
The Velletri wines are produced in the communal territories of Velletri, Lariano and Cisterna in the southernmost extension of the Castelli Romani district. The most widely distributed and best known Velletri wine is the white but connoisseurs keep a close eye on the red, for in each decade there are usually three or four vintages that are exceptional. Wines of those years can be aged at great length.
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Vignanello DOC
Red also novello and reserve, white also superior and rose’.
Vignanello is available in many types:
Vignanello red
Vignanello red novello
Vignanello red Reserve
Vignanello greco / lightly sweet
Vignanello white dry / lightly sweet / Superior
Viganello rose’
Vignanello greco spumante dry / semi-sweet
RED
Colour:
An intense red-ruby color with tendency to maroon with ageing.
Flavour:
It is aromatic, full, very characteristic and harmonious.
Characteristics:
The red has a minimum alcoholic content of 11%. Among the different types of wine allowed by the Vignanello D.O.C. regulations, the Greco deserves special notice. It is made with a minimum of 85% Greco grapes. It has a fairly good character especially in its sparkling version. The wine produced here is fresh and very supple, excellent for every day use and as a match for the simple dishes of the local cuisine. It is not to be aged. Among the different types of wine allowed by the Vignanello D.O.C. regulations, the Greco deserves special notice. It is made with a minimum of 85% Greco grapes. It has a fairly good character especially in its sparkling version.
Recommended use:
It should always accompany grilled meat, main courses with meat sauces of the traditional local and regional cuisine of Lazio.
WHITE
Color:
A golden yellow color with greenish highlights.
Flavor:
The bouquet has marked fruit’s notes and it taste dry, sometimes slightly bitter and semi-sweet.
Characteristics:
The white Vignanello has a minimum alcohol content of 10,5%
Recommended use:
It goes to perfection with lake fish, soups and vegetables.
Additional information:
One of the last wines in the list is the Vignanello wine, which only recently has been accepted as a D.O.C. wine. The Colli Cimini vineyards form a patchwork on the slopes of the Cimina hills and mountains in the province of Viterbo, side by side with those that produce the Vignanello D.O.C. and Colli Etruschi Viterbesi D.O.C. wines.
Some people claim that the current nucleus of Vignanello was built by the Romans who were running away from marauding Visigoths in 410 A.D. Local tradition has it that the name Vignanello (in Italian resembles the name for ‘small vineyard’) was due to the fact there was a vine ("vigna" in Italian) growing in the middle of the village square. Whatever the reason, the view on the surrounding countryside reveals that there couldn't be a better name for this place: as far as the eye sees, there is vineyard after vineyard. Its production areas are at Vignanello, Vasanello, Bassano in Teverina, Corchiano and in part Soriano del Cimino, Fabrica di Roma and Gallese.
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Zagarolo DOC
White also superior .
Available as:
Zagarolo white dry/ semi-sweet/ Zagarolo Superior
Colour:
A straw-yellow color.
Flavour:
A typical white wine of the Castelli Romani white, soft and harmonious, dry or off-dry. Its bouquet is vinous with strong influences of ‘golden’ apple and limoncello perfume. The taste is dry, fresh with a slight trace, rather mellow, pleasant aroma.
Characteristics:
The minimum alcoholic content is 11,5% getting the classification as superior if it reaches 12,5%. Does not age well and it should be served at a temperature of 10 C in crystal goblets.
Recommended use:
It is best served with pasta marinara, seafood in general but it is very flexible and goes with most food. Highly recommended with veal sweet-breads.
Additional information:
Least but not the last, Zagarolo DOC, is It is produced in two areas around the villages of Gallicano and Zagarolo from whom take the name the classic Romani mixture of grapes is also used in making Zagarolo: Malvasia Bianca di Candia and Puntinata, Trebbiano Toscano, Verde and Giallo, Bellone and Bonvino. Although there is great potential, the production of Zagarolo is quite limited--less than 1,000 hectoliters on the average. That is primarily because there is an unusually large number of a grower tending extremely small plots of vines. That fragmentation impedes the establishment of wine estates that are large enough to bear the costs of boosting quality and effectively promoting products on the market. The problem is worsened by the wine's weak image, for it is not well known to consumers, who are much more attracted to other wines of the Castelli Romani because of their long histories and commercial success.
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