Lazio

History

In Lazio, grape vines were cultivated long before the ancient Romans, notably by the Sabines, who were described by Virgil as descending from Sucus the “vitisator”, that is, the winemaker. It was with the expansion of the Roman Empire, however, that wine became an important product in the economy and in the daily life of the people. A small town such as Pompeii had at least 70 different wine bars! Lazio wines were also included in the sixteenth century in Pope Paul III’s cellar; examples include the Moscato di Montefiascone, the Rosso di Terracina and the wine of Cerveteri. Then hard times came, and in early 1900, the only areas of wine production in Lazio re- mained Frosinone, Viterbo, and the Castelli Romani. However, in 1923 the Queen of England fell in love with Frascati and had it served regularly in her royal court. With such a publicity, the Castelli wines began to be produced in greater quantities and sell better than ever before.

Territory

Roughly 54% of the Lazio territory is hilly and 26% mountainous, with the remaining 20% being flat. Lazio has a surface area of almost 50,000 hectares, but unfortunately, after the advent of phylloxera, the region turned to producing large volumes of wine rather than focusing on quality, as did Piedmont and Tuscany. Fortunately, just like in many other regions of Italy, things are now changing for the better, thanks to the efforts of winemakers who chose to focus on making site-specific wines showcasing the potential of indigenous grapes.

Lazio areas most suited to the cultivation of the vine are the hilly zones near the lakes: rich in volcanic soil and lava-tufa. Areas such as the Colli Albani are rich in potassium, which guarantees a greater amount of grape sugar and better aromatic expression. In fact, much of Lazio vineyards rest on volcanic soils and terroir is the last thing Lazio needs to worry about, since it already possesses a very high-quality one. The climate is temperate and rainfall is scarce, sometimes too scarce. The hilly areas of Lazio give rise to wines such as the Cesanese del Piglio DOCG (located near Frosinone). White wines are made primarily with two different Malvasia grapes and two different Trebbianos. The Grechetto variety is grown mainly in the northern areas of Viterbo, not surprisingly on the border with Umbria. Lazio’s most important native grape is undoubtedly Cesanese, which is the basis for wines of excellence and is found in slightly different varieties. Cesane Comune and Cesanese d’Affile. In the area of Cerveteri (DOC), in the hills near the sea north of Rome, whites are mainly based on Trebbianos and Malvasias, as well as in the area of Montefiascone, known for the “Est! Est!! Est!!!” DOC wine.