Italiano
Welcome Frascati
A Frascati Superiore, to be exact Vigneto Santa Teresa 2020 Fontana Candida, came up on top of the special ranking of wines with the best quality/price ratio of The Essential Guide to Italian Wine 2022 by DoctorWine. We propose it to you together with a "colleague".
There is no need to bother Marco Porzio Catone to go back to the origins of this wine. It is evident that the hills around Rome, the Castelli Romani, those which were the slopes of the so called Latium Volcano, are a more than suitable habitat for the cultivation of grape and historically Frascati wine was extremely appreciated by ancient Romans and by the papal court. the wine is the
paradigm of Lazio and on special occasions in the past it would flow from Rome’s fountains ‘’to the great joy of the people, men and women of all ages who gladly drank their fill from bottles and cups ‘’.
If nowadays its fame is fluctuating, this is mainly due to two factors: the first is common to several famous denominations of the twentieth century, namely the collapse of quality due to the eagerness to produce large quantities, since the demand was there; the second is linked to the urbanization of Rome and the Castelli Romani, which has eroded a lot of land devoted to the vineyard to allocate them to housing and businesses.
The denomination is reawakening and we are beginning to find several Frascati wines (especially those of the Superiore type, which since 2011 has a separate denomination, having been recognized as DOCG) of excellent quality. We suggest you two of them: Vigneto Santa Teresa from Fontana Candida and Villa dei Preti from Villa Simone.
Fontana Candida is synonymous with Frascati and has been fundamental in making this wine popular throughout and its part of Gruppo Italianio Vini. This great Lazio producer has given prestige to a wine that until recently was mistreated and improved its image also thanks to wines of unquestioned quality like Vigneto Santa Teresa and Luna Mater, wines of impressive longevity. The selections are possible thanks to the available surface: 221 hectares of vineyard.
On the opposite, Villa Simone has 'only' 21 hectares of vineyard. It is the farm estate of Lorenzo Costantini, passionate enologist of Latium wines and in the specific of the Malvasia Puntinata grape variety. The estate is an hour by car from the centre of Rome, in Monte Porzio Catone. The production exceeds 200,000 bottles, among which the Frascati Superiore Vigneto Filonardi Riserva stands out, a single vineyard considered one of the best of the area, and next to it, Villa dei Preti, also of great tasting level. Both show the detailed work on this white grape variety typical of the area.
Frascati Superiore Vigneto Santa Teresa 2020 Fontana Candida
93/100 - € 7,50
Blend of 50% Malvasia di Candia, 30% Malvasia del Lazio, 10% Trebbiano Toscano, 10% Greco grapes. Stainless steel on the yeasts for 5 months. Greenish straw yellow color. Very fruity, typical and fragrant aromas of yellow plums and wildflowers. Savory and neat taste, tense, slightly almondy finish.
Frascati Superiore Villa dei Preti 2020 Villa Simone
91/100 - € 10,00
Blend of Malvasia di Candia, Malvasia del Lazio and Grechetto grapes. Light straw yellow color. Fruity, elegant and fresh aromas of wildflowers, golden apple, hints of fresh almond. Tense and fresh taste, savory, very pleasant and nicely sustained by its acidity.
