Lazio
What makes it special
The region around Rome, and the source of the city's everyday white. Frascati and the other Castelli Romani wines come from volcanic hills just south of the capital, where vines have been grown since antiquity.
What makes it unique
Cesanese del Piglio, from the hills southeast of Rome, is the region's only red DOCG, in a place almost everyone thinks of as white wine country. The volcanic soils around the old craters give the whites a mineral lift when they are grown with care.
Why you should care
Frascati's reputation was built on bulk wine for Roman trattorie, and it is overdue a second look. The small producers now working the Castelli Romani and the Cesanese hills are making wines with real character at gentle prices.
28 of these still need a bottle. See them on the wanted list.
Outside the DOC system
All 6 from LazioIGT and plain Vino from Lazio. They don't count toward the 411, and I review them the same way.
Lazio IGT
Trebotti Gocce 2021
“Gocce means “drops” in Italian, and the 2021 Trebotti Gocce Violone from Lazio is made from 100% Violone aged 2 years in neutral French…”
Lazio IGT
Trebotti Gocce 2013
“A hot, dry vintage gave the 2013 Trebotti Gocce Violone from Lazio the stuffing to age gracefully, and it shows a deep purple-brick core…”
Lazio IGT
Trebotti 3S Grechetto 2023
“Six months in chestnut barrels give the 2023 Trebotti 3S Grechetto from Lazio a distinctive textural depth.”
Wineries I've tasted in Lazio
- Trebotti
Castiglione in Teverina