Montiano

During the early stages of my 'wine life' the only wine I had available at home was that produced by my grandfather in Alto Lazio, the area where my family comes from, just at the border with Tuscany. With all respect to my grandfather (that has left us too early to see me working in the wine business - thing that, I am sure, would have made him very proud), his wine was really not memorable. Nor were those made by any of the local producers.

Even later, when my wine experiences had developed a bit, I still was having difficulties to find a remarkable wine from my region. I have to admit that being born in Lazio, a region of Italy where wine production has never reached extraordinary standards of quality and prestige, I was sure this was connected to the specific location. So I convinced myself that the soil and microclimate must have been not suitable for viticulture. 

A wine proved me wrong. And the wine I am talking about is the Falesco Montiano.

The very first time I had the chance to bump into it, it was at a vertical tasting I was attending as part of my sommelier course. It was almost a shock! I couldn't believe that a wine with this depth could be produced in Montefiascone, a town that I only knew for its white Est! Est!! Est!!!

The wine is a 100% Merlot and even if I am normally a supporter of indigenous varieties (check this link on the subject) I must say that the wine is so good I could easily get over the grape subject.

I have tasted various vintages since that first time and never been disappointed. The wine has plenty of ripe dark fruit and a gentle touch of sweet spices.

In the mouth it is round and strong with good tannins, much more that you could expect from a Merlot. It has both complexity and length. It is a very good wine.

It may not be the only good wine from Lazio but so far it's one of the few ones that makes me proud enough of my region's wines!

Celebrating wine for 15 days!!

In the middle of Italy, south of Tuscany, in a small city called Montefiascone a 15 days long wine festival is about to begin.

The town is in a dramatic position on a hill overlooking Bolsena volcanic lake and it is very rich in history being in a area where Etruscans and Romans used to leave and where during the more recent centuries popes and important ecclesiastic personality stayed.

The festival is going to start next Sunday and will consist of concerts, meetings and processions with ancient traditional costumes but most important it will celebrate the most important wine of the area: the white Est! Est!! Est!!! 

 

The wine's name has a curious and legendary origin. It is said that a German bishop on his way to Rome had sent his servant ahead in order to find the best places to drink good wine. The servant used to stop, try the wines and if they were worth he used to write with chalk on the door Est (Latin translation for  "it is"). But when he got to Montefiascone (couple of hours away from Rome) he was impressed by this light and refreshing blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca and wanted to highlitght the pleasure of his experience with an enthusiastic triple Est! Probably this is just a legend, but someone says that when the bishop arrived he decided to stay and lately died here, and his tomb is in the Basilica di San Flaviano on the Route Franchigena.

I am not sure if the story is fiction made up to attract interest over a wine that it's considered by 2 of the main wine personalities (Hugh Johnson & Jancis Robinson) "the dullest white wine with the strangest name in the world" but I know the festival and the wine….It's true the wine is very simple, quite plain with a light aromatic flavour of green apple and a good acidity, and it lacks of structure and complexity but the festival is great fun.

So if it happens you to be in the area in the next 2-3 weeks have a tour and for 15€ you could have a walk in the historical cellars in the centre of the city and taste all wines from around 10 producers…and trust me it will be fun!!!