Roma Doc is a name that combines the strength of the “Roma” brand with the volcanic characteristics of Lazio.
It represents a realm encompassing underground caves and kilns, ancient towers surrounded by vineyards, and wine glasses that bear witness to millennia of history.
In the journey organized by the Roma Doc Wine Protection Consortium, we will explore four wineries in this incredible region: Cantina Amena, Tenimenti Leone, La Giannettola, and Casa divina provvidenza.
As the President of the Roma Doc Wine Protection Consortium, Tullio Galassini, aptly puts it, “We await your arrival in Rome.”
Cantina Amena
-I am Silvia Mingotti. Welcome to our company, the family-owned business.
It is called Cantina Amena, an organic and this year, also a vegan company.
Here, you can find beautiful vineyards. You can also discover a stunning tuff cave, and we would love to have you here with us. And if you feel like it, we await you in Campoleone di Lanuvio.
-I am Giacomo Cesari. I am the consulting winemaker for Cantina Amena in this beautiful place.
In the glass, we find the volcano, we can say we find the terroir. It is this that gives uniqueness to the wines. Whether it’s Malvasia, whether it’s Cesanese, or whether it’s Roma Doc, and another wine produced by the company, inside the glass, we find the volcano.
We find these mineral notes, these salty notes, these chalky notes, flinty notes that provide complexity to a wine but above all, they establish a connection with this unique land.
The uniqueness comes from the volcano, and the history is the story of a territory, a history that traces back to a volcanic eruption 35,000 years ago. This eruption created the distinctiveness of this land, where these wines with such particular and elegant characteristics are born.
Tenimenti Leone
-Hello, I’m Matteo, welcome to Tenimenti Leone.
We are located in the part of Colli Albani that descends from Lanuvio towards the plain and the sea. We are a young reality, having started this adventure in the world of wine relatively recently but with some very clear ideas.
So, in short, we have revitalized the territory we found, which had been somewhat neglected. We have made the Bresciano Tower accessible, which is an ancient tower of a farmhouse that has been here since 2000s.
The tower was added around the year 1000 and is open to visitors. We like to start our tours from there because it allows one to grasp the richness and uniqueness of the territory.
It is in this context that we have interpreted our entire production philosophy, which is deeply rooted in tradition and respect for both tradition and the territory. Therefore, everything we produce is organic.
We focus on using indigenous grape varieties as much as possible and have great confidence in the untapped potential of this territory, especially when it comes to the quality of our products, such as olive oil and wine, including the Roma Doc.
These products are clearly the result of one of the most eruptive and powerful volcanoes in history, the ancient Lazio volcano. Our vineyards have deep roots there and draw out unique characteristics in our wines.
We prioritize freshness, perfect timing of harvest, slightly earlier to allow the wines to express their crispness, freshness, and natural minerality, which is attributed to the volcanic soil.
Giannettola
-Hello, I’m Angelo Giovannini. I am the oenologist consultant for Martella Winery.
We are here at Tenuta La Giannettola, from which the winery takes its name. We are located in Velletri, near the Cinque Archi area, which is south of Rome, on the outskirts of Velletri before reaching the Agro Pontino region.
It is a company that dates back to the 1940s. It has always been dedicated to viticulture.
Initially, the viticulture was intended for vinification, not to say empirical, but rather a vinification that reflected the standards of those years, the 1950s. The grapes were harvested and then vinified in Marino, which is a municipality in the Castelli Romani area.
It is a company that spans approximately 150 hectares, expanding up to 180 hectares. Currently, we have around 45 hectares of vineyards, and of these 45 hectares, roughly 10-15% are used for vinification to produce wines that are then sold on the market, primarily in the national market for now, but we are also aiming for the international market.
The grape varieties include both white and red varieties, some of which reflect the traditional varieties of the region. These include Trebbiano Verde as a white grape variety, Malvasia Puntinata, and Cesanese as red grape varieties.
Additionally, we cultivate a range of international grape varieties such as Chardonnay among the whites, and Merlot, Syrah, and Petit Verdot among the reds.
Our job is to try to bring into the glass, after many discussions and hard work, the expression of a territory, what the French call terroir, and for us, it’s the ecosystem, which means a combination of grape varieties, soil, and the environment. We are talking about climatic conditions, and so on.
All the wines, as well as the viticultural and winemaking strategies, are aimed at achieving this goal, which is to convey the immediate sensation of the grape variety and the terroir without any interference from long aging processes or the indiscriminate use of vinification vessels that can heavily impact the wine.
So we work in respect of the raw material to let the final consumer know what the real potential of Lazio is, a territory that is extremely suitable, a territory where there has been viticulture for 3000 years. So this is the message we want to convey.
Casa Divina Provvidenza
-Hello everyone, I’m Massimiliano Rognoni, the sales director of Casa Divina Provvidenza agricultural company.
We are located in Nettuno, on the southern coast of Rome. It’s a land of the sea, but also of abundant wine, especially our Cacchione, which has now become a historic grape variety.
About twenty years ago, our company decided to revive or, in any case, enhance it as much as possible, recognizing its true value.
We are a former company of the Vatican State that approximately twenty years ago was directly acquired by the Cosmi family from the Vatican State. What will you find in our glass?
Regarding the Roma Bianco, our winemaker Marco Delli Zotti has decided to skillfully combine the Bellone grape, a very unique variety from the province of Rome.
It seemed to us, in short, a beautiful result to try to capture it in the bottle. As for the Roma Rosso, we have thought of a blend that is 51% Montepulciano and 49% Cesanese.
There, we combine it in two ways: one is a younger style, and the other is a reserve style that we practically call “200 anni” to commemorate the 200 years of our company, which occurred in 2021. Of course, this wine reaches 14.5% alcohol content, giving it a beautiful structure.
Tullio Galassini, the President of the Consortium for the Protection of Roma Doc:
-“Here, we conclude this beautiful journey. What is the true significance of these organized trips by Roma DOC?
We have showcased the region, exploring the entire stretch from the volcanic hills of Lazio down to the sea, visiting four exquisite wineries.
Now we find ourselves in Casa Divina Provvidenza, where we have been warmly welcomed. It has been a day of fine wines, delicious food, and magnificent landscapes. We await your arrival in Rome.”
