Area in the Albana Hills southeast of Rome between the Via Casilina and the famous Via Appia Antica in the Italian region of Lazio. In the past, there was a castle on each of the hills, which then gave way to the magnificent palaces of the cardinals and nobles during the Renaissance. Above Lake Albano lies the municipality of Castel Gandolfo with the former summer residence of the Pope. Since 2016, this has been open to the public as a museum. The fertile soil of the slopes has been used for wine growing for centuries. Today, there are about 7,000 hectares of vineyards that extend to the city limits of Rome (some vineyards are still within the administrative boundaries of the city). Three quarters of them are located around the large, extinct Tuscolano volcano, whose craters can still be seen in the Albano and Nemi lakes.
The soil is largely composed of weathered basalt and volcanic tufa clay, rich in potassium and phosphorus. The DOC/DOCG zones of Cannelino di Frascati, Colli Albani, Colli Lanuvini, Frascati, Marino, Montecompatri-Colonna, Velletri and Castelli Romani are located in this extensive area. The predominant white wines are mainly made from different varieties of Malvasia and Trebbiano with portions of autochthonous varieties.
The DOC area Castelli Romani applies to red wines, rosé wines and white wines. The zone covers about 1.400 hectares of vineyards in the municipalities of Albano Laziale, Ardea, Ariccia, Artena, Castel Gandolfo, Ciampino, Colonna, Frascati, Genzano di Roma, Grottaferrata, Lanuvio, Lariano, Marino, Montecompatri, Monte Porzio Catone, Nemi, Pomezia, Rocca di Papa, Rocca Priora, Roma, San Cesareo, Velletri and Zagarolo, as well as the municipalities of Cisterna di Latina and Aprilia in the province of Latina. If the grapes come from classified vineyards, Vigna followed by the vineyard name may be indicated on the label.
The Bianco is blended in any mixture of the varieties Malvasia Bianca di Candia, Malvasia Puntinata = Malvasia del Lazio, Trebbiano Giallo, Trebbiano Toscano, Trebbiano di Soave/Trebbiano Verde = Verdicchio Bianco (max. 70%), as well as other permitted varieties (max. 30%). Rosso (also known as Novello) is produced from any blend of Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Cesanese, Merlot and Nero Buono di Cori (max. 85%), as well as other authorised varieties (max. 15%). The Rosato is produced from the same grape varieties, but white varieties can also be used. All wines are also produced as Frizzante (sparkling wine) in the flavours secco and amabile.
Image: By George McFinnigan From Italian Wikipedia (uploaded by Gaucho)
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