Lazio's Other Great Wines

By Ray Isle

The Frascati region, in the Castelli Romani hills outside Rome, produces Lazio's most well-known wines. But other regions in Lazio also deserve attention, as these bottlings prove.

2007 Casale del Giglio Mater Matuta ($49). Photo courtesy of Casale Del Giglio.

2008 Sergio Mottura Poggio Della Costa ($18)

When Sergio Mottura isn't making aromatic whites like this Grechetto, he runs a small hotel, La Tana dell'Istrice, near his vineyards north of Rome.

2008 Marco Carpineti Capolemole ($19)

All of Carpineti's wines, including this floral Malvasia blend, come from his organically farmed vineyards near the ancient hill town of Cori.

2008 Damiano Ciolli Silene ($21)

Although he's only 33 years old, Damiano Ciolli is possibly the greatest interpreter of Cesanese, the delicate red variety that's local to eastern Lazio.

2008 Falesco Ferentano ($23)

Umbrian winemakers Renzo and Riccardo Cotarella make this full-bodied white from Lazio vineyards that produce the nearly extinct Roscetto grape.

2007 Casale del Giglio Mater Matuta ($49)

The Agro Pontino region of Lazio was a swamp on the coast of the Tyrrhenian Sea until Mussolini drained it in the 1930s. Now it's a source for wines like this complex red blend.