Blog: Lazio | Wine region

Traveling down the boot from Tuscany, one reaches Lazio with its capital Rome, where, as is well known, many roads lead. A destination for millennia, to which many roads lead. One, for example, since time immemorial via Montefiascone where the Est! Est!!! Est!!! ripens in golden clarity. What a strange name! Truly, around this triple 'Est' legends had to arise. Here is the most credible one: some centuries ago there lived a Dutch cardinal named Est, who held the true conviction that the dear God had created the good things in this world not only for the wicked. And so, one day, His Eminence set out on the great journey to pay his respects to the Pope, he sent a servant and wine connoisseur a day's journey ahead. He had to taste the wine in all the taverns along the way, and where he found the drop worthy of a high prince of the church, he wrote 'Est' on the door as a recommendation. Est' here, 'Est' there, but in Montefiascone this simple recommendation was no longer enough, here the chalk was only able to announce the happiness waiting in tin cups by the superlative of a triple 'Est'.

Cereals, corn and vegetables are grown in addition to wine in this region. Areas of volcanic origin such as the Alban Hills, the Sabine Mountains, etc. are particularly suitable for viticulture. The olive also thrives well on volcanic soils and calcareous soils. Already from the Etruscans, the Latins, the natives of Lazio, learned viticulture. From here come such world-famous wines as Frascati, which was one of the first Italian wines exported to Germany. Among the white varieties, Trebbiano and Malvasia predominate, while among the reds one finds Cesanese, Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Merlot, Ciliegiolo and also Cabernet.

For a long time, large quantities of extremely popular wines from Frascati, Marino or Colli Albani in particular were characteristic of the Lazio wine region. All these wines grow in the immediate vicinity of the capital Rome, in the comparatively cool hilly areas. Many city dwellers also like to use the surrounding countryside as a summer retreat, including the pope - he is regularly drawn to his country estate Castel Gandolfo. But the Mediterranean climate and the predominantly volcanic soils have even more to offer, beyond cheap wine or popular tourist drinks. Quality wines of high quality namely - not least favored by the favorable interaction of climate and soil. Among them are internationally recognized grape varieties such as Merlot, Syrah, Petit-Verdot or Tannat - but also local - partly rediscovered plants are among them - such as the red Cesanese or the white Malvasia del Lazio. - Gerardo

In addition to uncounted native grape varieties, the two red grape varieties Merlot and Cabernet also thrive excellently in Lazio, producing high-quality and tasty wines.