WHEN IN ROME - "Off The Beaten Path" - By Holly Howell
Posted on Mon, Jun 28, 2010
Out of all the 20 Italian regions, the one that almost always misses mention in the wine books is the region of Lazio. (Lazio in Italian, but called Latium in English). It always surprises me too, because Lazio is one of the oldest wine making regions of Italy. And it happens to be famous for something else. It is home to the capital of Italy - ROME!
I guess every region has its specific claim to fame. Rome (and Lazio along with it), is extremely well known to tourists for its history, art, cuisine, architecture, archaeology, religion and cultural influence on Italy as a whole. And who goes to Italy without visiting Rome? It's like a European traveling to Florida and not visiting Disney World.
You could spend weeks in Rome, discovering every nook and cranny of Italian heritage, and probably not taste a wine from Lazio. Unless you are looking for one that is. You are more likely to see restaurant wine lists including wines from neighboring Tuscany (to the north), Umbria (to the northeast), Abruzzo (to the east), and Campania (to the south). It is not that Lazio doesn't make good wine. It is just that it is not as well-known internationally as some of Italy's other treasures.
The hills around Rome make some delicious white wines, the most popular of which is Frascati. Frascati is a simple, easy-drinking white that is made from the grapes malvasia and trebbiano. Not exactly everyday grapes around the world, but in Italy, they reign supreme.
However, one of my favorite "Lazio" whites is made a few miles further north of Rome, in a little town called Montefiascone. Say that five times fast...
The wine is called EST! EST!! EST!!! di Montefiascone. It is made from the same grapes as Frascati (malvasia and trebbiano), and there is actually a story that explains its catchy name. It goes something like this. In the year 1111, Henry V of England and company were on his way to see Pope Pascal II in Rome. Henry (as we know) was quite particular about his food and drink, so he sent a servant ahead to taste the wine en route, and report as to which Inns served the best. If the wine was worthy, the servant would write "EST" on the door of the Inn. "EST" means "This is it!" in Latin.
Apparently, the servant was quite impressed with the wine in Montefiascone. He wanted to convey to Henry how good the wine was compared to all of the other "EST's" along the way. So he wrote "EST! EST!! EST!!!" to make sure he caught his attention. And it did. The rest, the rest is ESTory. I mean history.
You can pick up a taste of this mouth-watering wine for a mere $9.99 a bottle. Yes - the winery Falesco makes an outstanding EST! EST!! EST!!! of Montefiascone that is fruity and floral, and a simply outstanding sipper for summer evenings. Try it with appetizers, vegetable dishes, pasta and seafood. After all, when in Rochester, but you WANT to be in Rome, then just do what the Romans would do