Cerveteri

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The production area extends over approximately 7,000 hectares in the western part of Lazio, mainly in the province of Roma with a small portion in the commune of Tarquinia in the province of Viterbo.
• The genesis of the territory was shaped by three phases of volcanism dating to the Eocene, Miocene, and Quaternary, which gave rise to three sectors with distinct morphological characteristics and, consequently, three soil types.
• The highest peaks, of trachytic composition and geologically older origin, can occasionally exceed 600 metres above sea level, such as Monte delle Grazie, Monte della Frombola, and Monte Sassicari.
• The altitude of the vineyards ranges from 5 to 400 metres above sea level, with a general aspect oriented towards the west.
• The climate of the area is Mediterranean in character, with mean annual rainfall between 593 and 811 mm and an intense, prolonged summer drought lasting four months from May to August.

• Latin literary sources attest to the wine of Cerveteri already in the Roman era, with Martial recalling the caeretanus wine as comparable to aged Setinum, and Columella celebrating ancient Cere for its exquisite wine.
• The discovery of an Etruscan shipwreck in the waters off Marseille, dating to the sixth century BC, bears witness to the role of Etruscan vine-growers and merchants from Cerveteri as far back as that period.
• The grape varieties traditionally cultivated in the area are Trebbiano toscano, known locally as Procanico, and Malvasia di Candia for white wines, and Montepulciano and Sangiovese for red wines.
• The Jacini Survey of 1883 records increases in vineyard area in the communes of Cerveteri and Tolfa, with the principal varieties being Uva Grassa, Buccia dura, Verdello, Spagnuola, and Procanico at Cerveteri, and Pergolese and Aleatico at Tolfa.

• Cerveteri rosso displays a ruby colour of varying intensity, an intense nose with fruity notes of berries and stone fruit alongside floral hints of violet, and a dry, harmonious palate of good body.
• Cerveteri bianco shows a straw-yellow colour of varying intensity, an intense nose with floral notes and fruity hints of apple and almond, and a dry, intense, and well-balanced palate.

• 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.
• For the red wines, the same combination of soil and climate promotes optimal phenolic ripeness which, together with a good balance between sugars and acids, yields wines of elevated structure and equilibrium.

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-A0696