Area : Castelli Romani Town : Frascati

DOC labels : Colli Lanuvini, Colli Albani, Castelli Romani, Velletri, Frascati and Marino.

Towns : Frascati • Castelgandolfo • Albano • Ariccia • Marino • Rocca di Papa • Nemi • Monteporizio Catone • Grotaferrata

The Terroir
The foremost reason why the wines of Castelli are so good is due to fertile volcanic soil rich in potassium and ample sunshine which are extremely favorable to the production of white wines. Latium D.O.C. wines are obtained through a various combination of grape varieties. The chief constituents being trebbiano and malvasia with the addition of various amounts of Greco, bellone, bombino bianco (white grapes), and Cesanese, Montepulciano, Sangiovese and Merlot (red grapes).

The Grapes
Trebbiano An important white-wine grape, due to it's extensive planting. Estimates indicate that Trebbiano produces more wine than any other variety in the world Malvesio A grape that has existed for about 2,000 years. It's believed to have come from the area around the Aegean Sea, possibly from what is now the southwestern area of Turkey and the islands between Turkey and Greece. Malvasia is primarily a white-wine grape, but it has many known subvarieties. Greco

A white-wine grape grown in southwestern Italy's CAMPANIA and CALABRIA regions. Greco's origins are certainly Greek, although there are numerous theories as to how this ancient variety was introduced into Italy.

Legend
All Roman legends, literature and popular traditions concerning wine begin and end with Frascati, which is surely one of the best known, most celebrated and mythologized wines in the world. Its reputation was enhanced by its influence on Roman customs. By 1450 there were already 1,022 famous taverns nearly all owned by producers of Frascati wine, who leased them out under contracts resembling the modern fast food chain franchising agreements.

The Frascati is very good with Hors d'oeuvres, Soups, pasta, fish, white meat, and cheeses and also as an aperitif.

Area - Colli Albani - South western part of the Alban hills and the area bordering Nemi, Genzano and Lanuvio.

Cultivated for centuries, the vineyards that provide grapes for the making of the Colli Albani grapes are situated in a zone noted for its patrician villas, monasteries and sanctuaries that extends southward from the Lake of Albano. It includes the communes of Ariccia, Albano, Pomezia, Castelgandolfo and Lanuvio.

Albano wine is without doubt the ancestor of the Castelli Romani wines in general and the modern Colli Albani in particular. However, winemaking is even older than Imperial Rome. The hills were the site of the Latin community of Albalonga, which existed before the foundation of Rome.

Over the centuries, the Colli Albani wine has never lacked admirers and the citations by illustrious personalities are legion. The wine's popularity undoubtedly goes beyond its undisputed quality. For centuries, the popes have maintained a summer residence at Castelgandolfo in the heart of the production zone. The fresh fragrance of the wine appealed to the pontiffs and to the numerous aristocrats, artists and literary figures who frequented their court.

COLOR: pale yellow more or less *

SCENT: winey with a delicate characteristic smell *

FLAVOUR: palatable sapid, soft, fine and velvety *

TASTE: Dry are the wines which have maximum 1% of sugar residue Sweetish are the wines, which have sugar residue between 1% and 3% Cannellino or Sweet are the wines which have sugar residue between 3% and 6% * Alcoholic volume in total: minimum: 11% The "Frascati Superiore" wine has to have more than 11.5% of alcoholic volume.

As far back as 2000 years ago vineyards were passionately cultivated on this land. Splendid testimony of the level of mastery attained by the Romans in the wine-making process is preserved in the ruins of Ercolano and Pompei : they often used honey , spices , herbs and sea water to add flavour and stability to the wines destined for the ageing process . In Italy wine is produced in the regions spanning from the Alps right through to Sicily .

As a result of the different climate and quality of soil , there are very diverse wines produced. Each of these must be accompanied by the right food which enhances the flavour and counterbalances the bouquets of the wine . Only in this way will a good wine give that pleasurable heady sensation which renders it unique and without substitute. And without which it would be impossible to fully experience the colours and moods of this sun kissed and passionate land or to fully understand its art and history .

First and foremost, the cult of Bacchus , God of wine , which was disperse in all of the Mediterranean basin and often prohibited even in the imperialist age because of celebrations that culminated in frenzied fertility rituals . During the evening our guide will recount some of the most captivating myths and legends surrounding wine, such as, the birth of Bacchus and The Drunkenness of Noah depicted by Michelangelo in the Sistine Chapel.