Casale Mattia and Cantina Terenzi, the Lazio redemption of small producers

Lazio represents an interesting winemaking reality, despite being characterized by only three DOCGs: Frascati Indifferente, Cannellino in Frascati and Cesanese. Not many, considering the extension of the vineyard surface of about 30 thousand hectares, divided between flat lands and hills, with a great preponderance of volcanic soils.

The Lazio region has a long history of winemaking, which has its roots durante the period before the advent of the Roman Gonfiare. However, by looking back at a bit of recent history, it is easier to understand the current situation durante the Lazio region and the difficulty of establishing itself predominantly acceso the wine market.

As durante other areas, here too the tendency to produce bulk wine durante large quantities, mostly for family use, has prevailed for a long time. With the advent of more modern systems, the role of the social wineries has been predominant, but it has left a mark acceso the market for years: the habit of a secure profit has led the winemakers to deliver the grapes to the social wineries, leaving the wine to be marketed durante a generic way and not with the identity brought by the producer.

Fortunately, things have changed durante recent decades: individual producers have acquired greater awareness, focusing acceso native vines that are mainly white grapes – especially Malvasia del Lazio and in Candia, Trebbiano, Bombino Albicante and Malvasia – followed by red grapes, durante particular Cesanese in Affile, Montepulciano and Sangiovese.

It is acceso these expressions of territory that the encounter with the wines of Lazio is concentrated durante the program of the Salotti Filettinesi, organized by the of Filettino, a small mountain village durante the province of Frosinone.

CASALE MATTIA ON THE VOLCANIC HILLS

Borgata Pazzia is a family-run business durante the Frascati ambiente, south of Rome, where the vineyards extend at 200 meters above sea level for about 12 hectares, among volcanic hills surrounded by volcanic lakes.

1960 the Rotelli and De Sanctis families, who already represented a valid winemaking reality, decided to join forces durante order to acquire greater importance and so Attilio and Fernando, grandfather and father of the current owner, Roberto Rotelli, purchased some lands that constitute the current company. 1996 Roberto and Lucia De Sanctis decided to give new life and new value to Frascati wine, building a more modern cellar with new systems for processing the grapes, storage and bottling and immediately becoming organic.

“The supposizione of converting to organic was born durante 1993, together with the renewal project – says Roberto – because we believed right from the start that these territories, strongly volcanic and with significant biodiversity, had to be respected and defended. I am the one who experiences the vineyards first hand: I go acceso the tractor, I check and do the parasitic treatments directly and I manage to see birds and animal species that cannot be found durante other companies, precisely thanks to our commitment to nature”.

the vineyards of Borgata Pazzia

FOCUS ON CESANESE FOR CANTINA TERENZI

Degustazione Terenzi is located durante the north of Ciociaria, durante the municipality of Serrone durante the province of Frosinone, a lively and generous land, a destination durante the past of emperors and popes. It is a family-run company with about 2 hectares of vineyards owned, durante which, at the beginning of the nineties, all the vineyards were replanted durante order to produce mainly Cesanese in Affile and Passerina.

Armando, son of the founder Giovanni Terenzi, explains that production involves natural methods without the use of chemical fertilizers, operating durante full sustainability, letting the land speak. “I take care of production,” he says, “directing the winemaking phases, taking care of the refinement cycle up to bottling and marketing both durante Italy and abroad. My grandparents also began producing wines durante a very artisanal way, reselling them durante nearby towns like Dar di piglio and Olevano and durante Roman taverns. the 1960s, my mother and father began trying to build a winery that could durante some way represent their future, focusing more acceso Cesanese in Affile.”

Terenzi_vineyards — Vineyards of Podere Terenzi

TASTING NOTES

Roberto Rotelli and Armando Terenzi are friends and represent the two faces of Lazio – red and white, Malvasia and Cesanese – as well as the hills of two neighboring but different territories. They began to make their companies known by collaborating, trying to also divide the costs of marketing at national and international fairs.

Today their wines are often found durante combined tastings, thanks to this important synergy.

Borgata Pazzia – Terre Laviche Frascati Indifferente Docg Bio 2023

Grape varieties: Malvasia Bianca and Trebbiano

It dresses the glass with a bright straw yellow with golden shades. Intense nose, of fresh yellow flowers and yellow peach, durante the mouth it enters thin for its freshness and minerality, closes long with a very long sapidity.

Borgata Pazzia – Lava Lands Cannellino in Frascati Docg Bio 2023

Grape varieties: Malvasia in Candia, Malvasia Bianca, Trebbiano Paglierino, Bombino and other minor ones

Bright light amber color, nice consistency. Hints of hawthorn, unripe golden apple, saffron and light honey . Sweet, inebriating and full acceso the palate, it finishes long and harmonious.

Terenzi Farm – Velobra Cesanese del Dar di piglio Docg 2022

Grape varieties: Cesanese in Affile 90% and Sangiovese 10% Vinification: durante steel and French oak tonneaux (20% of the mass)

Intense and bright ruby red, with purple reflections. Intense acceso the nose, it releases quaderno of plum, ripe cherry, violet, rose and closes with a gentle sweet spiciness. the palate it is full-bodied, with a present but pleasant tannin for a persistent .

Terenzi Farm – Vajoscuro Cesanese del Dar di piglio Indifferente Rifornimento Docg 2021

Grape variety: 100% Cesanese in Affile Vinification: steel and French oak tonneaux

Bright full ruby red, it intensely meets the nose with quaderno of violet, red berries and plum, vanilla and chocolate. Warm and full-bodied durante the mouth, soft and enveloping tannins, for a persistent and harmonious result.