Castelli Romani

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Accessory grape varieties

Terroir

• The territory encompasses the southern part of the Agro romano, the Colli Albani, the northeastern part of the Agro Pontino, and the upper valley of the river Sacco, covering an area of 85,000 hectares.
• The soil was formed largely from calcareous rocks of the Mesozoic Era and from volcanic materials produced by Quaternary eruptions originating from the Vulcano laziale.
• Among the volcanic formations, the pozzolans stand out — known locally as 'terrinelle' — uncemented ashes that yield sandy, deep, and permeable soils with no waterlogging.
• The lithoid tuffs, known locally by such names as cappellacci, occhio di pesce, and occhio di pernice, cover the greater part of the territory and are poorly or wholly impermeable to both water and roots.
• Vine-cultivated land lies between 19 and 600 metres above sea level, with a general aspect oriented towards the west, southwest, and south.
• The climate is of a transitional Mediterranean type, with mean annual rainfall between 810 and 1,110 mm and a mean temperature of between 14.8 and 15.6 °C.

• The authorised grape varieties are those traditionally cultivated in the area: Malvasia di Candia, Malvasia del Lazio, and Trebbiano toscano, verde, and giallo for whites; Cesanese, Merlot, Montepulciano, and Sangiovese for reds.
• The presence of viticulture in the Castelli Romani area is attested from Roman times, as evidenced by numerous references in the works of the Latin georgic writers.
• From 1422 onwards, numerous wine-tax registers (libri della gabella del vino), preserved in the Archivio di Stato di Roma, document how papal authority regulated production in the vineyards of Rome and the Castelli Romani.

• The white wine displays a straw-yellow colour of varying intensity, an intense nose with floral and fruit notes, and a dry, fresh, harmonious, intense, and balanced palate.
• The red displays a moderate structure with polymerised polyphenolic and tannic compounds that impart a good body and an absence of roughness, with a ruby-red colour of varying intensity.
• On the palate, all wines show normal acidity, barely perceptible bitterness, and low astringency — elements that contribute to their overall gustatory balance.

• The combination of soil characteristics and climatic factors leads, in the white wines, to the production of significant quantities of aromatic precursors that enhance the typical varietal aromas of the grape varieties.

Facts drawn from the specification's terroir-link section by automatic interpretation — see the source.

All appellations in Italy

Sources

• eAmbrosia register (EU) — File number PDO-IT-A0695