Tarquinia

Styles

Principal grape varieties

Terroir

• The geographical zone extends over an area of approximately 245,000 hectares in the north-central part of Lazio, between the provinces of Rome and Viterbo.
• A series of peaks, almost all of trachytic origin, represents the highest and geologically oldest points of the territory, with summits that can sometimes exceed 600 m above sea level, such as M. delle Grazie, M. della Frombola, and M. Sassicari.
• The altitude of the vineyards ranges from 2 to 663 m above sea level, with a general aspect oriented toward the west and southwest.
• The formation of the territory is marked by three phases of volcanic activity dating to the Eocene, the Miocene, and the Quaternary, which gave rise to three sectors with differing morphological characteristics and soil types.
• The climate of the area is Mediterranean, with mean annual rainfall ranging from 593 to 940 mm and an intense, prolonged summer drought lasting four months from May to August.
• Mean annual temperature ranges from 15.0 to 16.4 °C, with mean monthly temperatures below 10 °C for two to three months of the year and minimum temperatures in the coldest month between 2.9 and 6.8 °C.

• Documents relating to the Etruscan port of Gravisca, near Tarquinia, and to ancient Statonia attest that as early as 540–530 BC the vineyards were producing quantities sufficient to sustain significant external trade.
• The Statutes of the city of Civitavecchia issued in 1451 contained twenty chapters regulating the harvest, penalties for those who damaged vineyards, and the measures of sale used by tavern-keepers.
• The grape varieties traditionally cultivated in the area include Trebbiano toscano, locally known as Procanico, Trebbiano giallo, Malvasia di Candia, and Malvasia del Lazio for the whites, and Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Cesanese comune for the reds.

• Tarquinia dry white presents a straw-yellow colour of varying intensity, with a pleasant and delicate nose and a dry, full, harmonious palate.
• Tarquinia dry red has a ruby-red colour of varying intensity, a vinous nose with fruity and floral notes, and a dry, harmonious palate of appropriate body, with good polyphenolic endowment and polymerised tannins.
• Tarquinia rosé has a pink colour of varying intensity, a light body and lively freshness, with a pleasant fruity nose and a fine, delicate, harmonious palate.
• On the palate, all wines of the appellation show normal acidity, barely perceptible bitterness, and low astringency — elements that contribute to their 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 organoleptic profile and the varietal character typical of the individual 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-A0760