The region (Italian: Lazio) with the capital Rome is located in the centre of Italy at the "knee" of the boot. It stretches for 320 kilometres in the west along the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea. All of the other six central regions border on Lazio. Starting from the north, these are Tuscany, Umbria, Marche (only a short stretch), Abruzzo, Molise and Campania. Even in ancient times, there was extensive viticulture and a distinctive wine culture here.

Wines for Rome

The region provided food and drink for the capital of the Roman Empire. In ancient times, full-bodied, amber-coloured, spicy white wines came from here. For many centuries, Rome's poets praised the wines of Lazio, especially the predecessor of Frascati. Wine played an important role at the nearby papal court in the Middle Ages. Pope Paul III (1468-1549) outlawed French wine and had his wine steward Sante Lancerio draw up an overview of the Italian wines of the time. In 2021, two hectares of vines were planted in the papal gardens of the Castel Gandolfo summer residence on the shores of Lake Albano. The resulting wine is used exclusively for the Vatican's own purposes, for example as Mass wine.

Vineyards

The vineyards cover around 20,500 hectares of vines. The climate is dry and hot on the coast and becomes increasingly cooler and wetter inland. Vines are cultivated almost everywhere except in the Apennines with the 2,216 metre high peak Monte Terminillo. White wines, which thrive on the often volcanic soils, are produced to 80%. There are also extensive vineyards within the administrative boundaries of the city of Rome. Over a third of wine production is carried out by winegrowers' co-operatives. The numerous small winegrowers cultivate an average of only half a hectare of vineyards and deliver their grapes to these large wineries.

Grape varieties

Important white wine varieties are Bellone (Cacchione, Uva di Spagna), Bombino Bianco (Bonvino), Chardonnay, Grechetto di Orvieto, Greco, Greco Bianco, Malvasia Bianca di Candia, Malvasia Bianca Lunga, Malvasia del Lazio (Malvasia Puntinata), Moscato Bianco (Muscat Blanc), Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc), Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris), Procanico (variety of Trebbiano Toscano), Rossetto, Sémillon, Trebbiano Toscano, Trebbiano Giallo and Trebbiano Verde (Verdicchio Bianco). Varieties of the Malvasia and Trebbiano variety groups are used in many white wines.

Important red wine varieties are Aleatico, Bombino Nero, Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Canaiolo (Canaiolo Nero), Cesanese (with the two varieties Cesanese di Affile and Cesanese Comune), Ciliegiolo, Grechetto (Grechetto Rosso), Merlot, Montepulciano (Violone), Nero Buono di Cori, Pinot Nero (Pinot Noir), Sangiovese and Syrah.

DOC/DOCG/IGT areas

The IGT areas(regional wines) as well as the DOC and DOCG areas(quality wines) in the Lazio region are:

• Aleatico di Gradoli (DOC)
• Anagni (IGT)
• Aprilia (DOC)
• Atina (DOC)
• Bianco Capena (DOC)
• Cannelino di Frascati (DOCG)
• Castelli Romani (DOC)
• Cerveteri (DOC)
• Cesanese del Piglio or Piglio (DOCG)
• Cesanese di Affile or Affile (DOC)
• Cesanese di Olevano Romano or Olevano Romano (DOC)
• Circeo (DOC)
• Civitella d'Agliano (IGT)
• Colli Albani (DOC)
• Colli Cimini (IGT)
• Colli della Sabina (DOC)
• Colli Etruschi Viterbesi or Tuscia (DOC)
• Colli Lanuvini (DOC)
• Cori (DOC)
• Costa Etrusco Romana (IGT)
• Est! Est!!! Est!!! di Montefiascone (DOC)
• Frascati (DOC)
• Frascati Superiore (DOCG)
• Frusinate or del Frusinate (IGT)
• Genazzano (DOC)
• Lazio (IGT)
• Marino (DOC)
• Montecompatri-Colonna or Montecompatri or Colonna (DOC)
• Moscato di Terracina or Terracina (DOC)
• Nettuno (DOC)
• Orvieto - also Umbria (DOC)
• Roma (DOC)
• Tarquinia (DOC)
• Velletri (DOC)
• Vignanello (DOC)
• Zagarolo (DOC)

Image: by Tschubby - Own work, CC BY-SA 3.0, Link