LAZIO
This could be one of the more challenging pieces I have written for the site.
Lazio is in the west central part of Italy. Lazio is the home of Rome.
A trip to Italy isn’t complete without some time in Rome. The attractions of Rome have brought tourists to the region from all over the world. And why not? It is an impressive city.
For me the challenge of writing about wine from the Lazio region is because the wines from this area are really nothing special.
Unlike many of the regions in Italy, Lazio doesn’t have a wine culture that wants to attain worldwide recognition. There is nothing wrong with that. Those are lofty goals for some wine regions, but all.
Most of the wine produced is simple, lighter in body and not known for complexity. It is great with the Roman cuisine and not too spendy. Everybody is happy, the producers, the tourists and the locals.
Here are the facts! Lazio produces nearly 16 million cases of wine a year. Of that production, 70% is white wine. The main varietals are Malvasia & Trebbiano.
I have discussed these white grapes/wines in previous writings as they are widely grown and are the white wines of several wine regions, including Tuscany.
There are 3 main red varietals in Lazio- Cesanese, Merlot & Cabernet Sauvignon. Cesanese appears to be like Sangiovese, and in fact Sangiovese is also grown in the area.
There are 27 DOC’s and only 3 DOCG’s in Lazio. There are 50,000 acres of wine producing vines. These vineyards are mostly in the hills outside of Rome. Most of the wine produced is consumed in Rome, leaving small amounts to be exported to other countries.
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I wondered why so much white wine was produced and consumed in the area. I remember now there are 4 main pasta dishes in Rome and not one of them has tomato in the ingredients.
Red wines and tomato are a great food and wine pairing. Since the popular pastas are cream or cheese based, Trebbiano is the best pairing.
I thought it is odd, that Cabernet Sauvignon & Merlot are the popular red grapes grown in the area. These grapes are not Italian varietals, they are of French origin. Where is the national pride? Perhaps I am making more of it than it needs to be.
I think the only wine that gets any recognition internationally from Lazio is Frascati. Other than that, Lazio isn’t much of a wine region compared to the other regions in Italy.
I guess when you have the nation’s capital in Rome, and all the history and the tourist destination, who cares if you make complex and interesting wine.
The producers are not that interested in raising the level of quality. Their wine gets consumed, and everyone is content, so why worry?
It just is one of those scratch you head moments and wonder why the biggest tourist stop in Italy has average wines.
FRASCATI-
Frascati- The grape of Frascati is Malvasia. Frascati DOC produces 400,000 cases of white wine from 1000 acres of vines.
The wines are crisp, lighter-bodied, with good acidity to pair with fish, cream sauce pastas, and appetizers. This is generally the wine that comes to America. Nothing to complex or dry & tannic. Easy to drink, no aging, yet a nice food wine.
Frascati DOCG- This region broke away from the DOC in 2011 to have it’s own set of rules. The biggest difference between the two is the DOCG does some aging of the wines. Frascati Superiore DOCG Riserva is aged 1 yr. minimum with 3 months of the aging in the bottle.
The area produces 68,000 cases of wine. We don’t see a lot of Frascati Superiore Riserva on the shelves here or on wine lists but we do see a fair amount of just Frascati DOC.
Frascati is the most exported wine from Lazio into the USA. Finding a bottle shouldn’t be to hard to find. They are generally not expensive wines which adds to the popularity. It is crisp and easy to drink with good acidity.
Est! Est! Est!
Est! Est! Est! di Montefiascone DOC-
This area comprises of 815 acres of vines that produce 277,000 cases of wine a year. The grape of this area is Trebbiano and they have no aging requirements.
One of many stories of how they came up with the unusual name goes like this.
There was a wealthy nobleman traveling through the area and had one of his hired hands go through the countryside ahead of the nobleman to find the best places for food and drink. He would write on the door Est, if the establishment was worthy of the nobleman’s affection for good food and wine. In this area, (Montefiascone) the aid was so impressed he wrote- Est! Est! Est! and thus the name of the wine.
This too is a wine for lighter fare. Be it fish, vegetables, light white sauces and appetizers, this will fit the bill. Will it be layered, complex, or full-flavored? No. But it isn’t trying to be all that either.
Finding a bottle of Est,Est,Est shouldn’t be real difficult.
There is availability, however you may have to request your retailer to bring some in. Shelf space usually goes to the well-known types like Pinot Grigio.
Cesanese Del Piglio/Piglio DOCG- Here is a red wine region to compliment the heartier dishes when in Rome.
Cesanese is a red grape with flavors of cherry, cinnamon, some pepper spice and hints of rose petals.
Those are some of the things I get out of Sangiovese. Not saying they are identical, just saying there are similarities.
This region produces 47,400 cases of wine per year from 351 acres. They produce the regular DOCG, as well as Superiore and Superiore Riserva. The difference is in the aging of the wines.
Piglio Superiore is aged for 18 months and Superiore Riserva in 20 months with at least 6 months in the bottle.
I think it is fair to say Cesanese is wine that is better with aging. The whites of Lazio get minimum benefit from aging.
We don’t see a lot of Cesanese in the USA and particularly in the mountain west area. Again, most of the wine produced in Lazio stays in Lazio, but there are always exceptions.
In conclusion, the wines of Lazio generally take the backseat to the food and aura of Rome.
The grape growers & producers here are okay with that. They are selling wine and not relying on an export market or impressing the wine critics to profit.
If you want to recapture those pleasant memories of your visit to Rome, buy a wine from Lazio and enjoy!
