Rome’s Pantheon
Lazio is best known for its capital city, Rome. By anyone’s calculation, that’s enough of a calling card. Wine drinkers, including many savvy wine drinkers, all but ignore Lazio wines — that’s a big mistake.
White wines have always been the center of attention here but that is part of the problem. Frascati and Orvieto (a DOC shared with neighboring Umbria) were commonly found in export markets. The problem is that these wines used to be cheap, poorly made, and unworthy of serious attention. That has all changed. Frascati was based on poor clones of Trebbiano with the brilliant local clones of Malvasia used as enhancers. Now Malvasia is in the lead and the wines have never been better.
Beyond the whites, the local reds based on Cesanese have, too, been upgraded. These wines were once cheap and sweet but now the best clones are utilized along with greater attention given in the fields and in the winery. The resulting wines are complex and delicious, offering another reason to visit Rome. See our story on Cesanese.
Lazio boasts a whopping 27 DOCs and three DOCGs. Cesanese del Piglio DOCG is the king Cesanese these days along with the aforementioned Frascati offers a dry and sweet version via Frascati Superiore DOCG, and Cannellino di Frascati DOCG.
Permitted grapes include:
White – Malvasia, Trebbiano, and Bellone
Red – Cesanese, Ciliegiolo, Montepulciano, Nero Buono, Sangiovese.
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Aleatico di Gradoli – Red and Sweet wines are made here primarily with Aleatico.
Aprilia – White, Red, Rose, and Rosé wines are made here.
Atina – White and Red wines are made here.
Bianco Capena – White wines are made here with local white grapes.
Cannellino di Frascati DOCG – White wines are made here primarily with Malvasia.
Castelli Romani – White, Red, Rose, and Rosé wines are made here.
Cerveteri – White, Red, Rose, and Rosé wines are made here.
Cesanese del Piglio DOCG – Red wines are made here primarily with Cesanese.
Cesanese di Affile – Red wines are made here primarily with Cesanese.
Cesanese di Olevano Romano – Red wines are made here primarily with Cesanese.
Circeo – White, Red, Rose, Sparkling, and Rosé wines are made here.
Colli Albani – White and Sparkling wines are made here primarily with Malvasia.
Colli della Sabina – White and Red wines are made here.
Colli Etruschi Viterbesi – White, Red, Rose, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
Colli Lanuvini – Red, White, and Sparkling wines are made here.
Cori – White and Red wines are made here.
Est!Est!!Est!!! di Montefiascone – White and Sparkling wines are made here primarily with Trebbiano.
Frascati – White and Sparkling wines are made here primarily with Malvasia.
Frascati Superiore DOCG – White wines are made here primarily with Malvasia.
Genazzano – White and Red wines are made here.
IGP Anagni – White and Red wines are made here.
IGP Civitella d’Agliano – White, Red, Rose, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Colli Cimini – White, Red, Rose, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Costa Etrusco Romana – White and Red wines are made here.
IGP del Frusinate – White, Red, Rose, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Lazio – White, Red, Rose, Sparkling, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGP Passerina del Frusinate – White, Red, Rose, and Rosé wines are made here.
IGT Lazio – White, Red, Rose, Sparkling, Sweet, and Rosé wines are made here.
Marino – Sparkling and Sweet wines are made here primarily with Malvasia.
Montecompatri-Colonna – White wines are made here primarily with Malvasia.
Moscato di Terracina – White wines are made here primarily with Moscato.
Nettuno – White, Red, Rose, and Rosé wines are made here.
Orvieto – White and Sweet wines are made here primarily with Grechetto.
Roma – White, Red, Rose, Sparkling, and Rosé wines are made here.
Tarquinia – White, Red, Rose, and Rosé wines are made here.
Terracina – White and Sparkling wines are made here primarily with Moscato.
Velletri – White, Red, and Sparkling wines are made here.
Vignanello – White, Red, and Sparkling wines are made here.
Zagarolo – White wines are made here primarily with Malvasia.