The Wine: Litrozzo Rosso 2020

Litrozzo Rosso by Le Coste di Gradoli winery is one of those wines that you just want to open with friends - lots of friends, it's a 1-liter bottle - and just enjoy it while having a simple pasta or pizza. Drinkability embodied by a wine. Made from a field blend of local varietals farmed organically, fermented spontaneously with native yeasts, unfiltered, unfined, no added sulfites. Le Coste Litrozzo Rosso is a lively medium to light body red wine with red fruit on the nose and a savory finish.

The Producer: Le Coste di Gradoli

Le Coste di Gradoli is a winery located in Gradoli, Lazio, Central Italy, near the volcanic Lake Bolsena. The 14-hectare estate is owned and operated by Gianmarco Antonuzzi and Clementine Bouveron. It comprises a vineyard, olive groves, chestnut trees, shrubs, and oaks. The terroir of this region is characterized by iron-rich soil and a mild climate - not quite Mediterranean but not fully continental.

Gianmarco and Clementine do everything by hand, adopting a biodynamic approach in the vineyard – Le Coste di Gradoli is a certified organic winery – and low-intervention one in the cellar. In a very short amount of time, they've become some of the most revered natural wine producers in the area.

The Region: Lazio

Lazio, Latium in Latin, is located in Central Italy, its capital is Rome, and is one of the biggest and most populous regions of Italy. Lazio was first inhabited by the Etruscans and then by the Latins and Romans. Lazio was always a wine-producing region and borders with other historically important Italian wine regions - Tuscany (North), Campania (South), Umbria, and Abruzzo (East).

The Romans and the Roman Empire as a political and cultural entity had the biggest impact on the development of the region: trade, agriculture, technology, and also winemaking, were deeply influenced by the capital, Rome, known as "Caput Mundi" - the capital of the world. Falernian wine, the most famous wine of ancient Rome and perhaps ancient times, was produced from Aglianico grapes grown on the border of Lazio and Campania.

However, after the Barbaric invasions and the fall of the Roman Empire, the region went through several centuries of underdevelopment and winemaking stopped being a central part of everyday life. After the unification of Italy, in 1961, when Rome became the capital of the newly formed nation-state, winemaking was rediscovered in an attempt to reestablish the glory of the past.

The Terroir of Lazio

Lazio is a hilly region - Rome is famously built on the "Seven Hills of Rome". These are mostly hills of volcanic origin, which is an ideal characteristic for winemaking as we have seen for other wine regions - Soave, Etna, Taurasi, Sannio among many others.

Volcanic soils tend to be very well-drained and rich in nutrients such as potassium. In a similar way to the soils of Soave and Sannio, Lazio volcanic soils are conducive to growing excellent white grapes. Winds and cool breezes from the Tyrrhenian Sea, Lazio has a long coastline to the West, also play a factor in the region's viticulture, which benefits from relatively mild temperatures and good aeration and is protected to the East by the Apennines.

The White Wines of Lazio

Trebbiano and Malvasia di Candia are the local heroes, usually vinified in a style that prefers roundness and a certain chewiness combined with an off-dry profile. Nowadays things are somewhat different, also thanks to a plethora of natural winemakers who are embracing Lazio's indigenous varietals but are adopting a different winemaking approach.

Lazio's white wines are crisp, light, refreshing, and low in alcohol, meant to be drunk young. Acidity is the main element, and winemakers have learned how to capitalize on Lazio's grapes high and yet well-balanced natural acidity. Le Coste di Gradoli is one of the best examples of this natural renaissance, which also reinterpreted the ancient skin contact technique.

Some of the most popular whites are Frascati, Orvieto, Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone - a real hidden gem.

The Red Wines of Lazio

Red wines from Lazio are also going through a major renaissance thanks to natural winemakers. The most important grapes are Sangiovese, Cesanese, perhaps the most representative Lazio indigenous grape varietal, Aleatico Montepulciano, and Nero Buono di Cori. In Lazio, there are more than 200 hundred grape varietals and some of the red wines are field blends of mostly unknown grapes.

Some of the most popular are Cesanese del Piglio (or Piglio), which is the only Lazio DOCG, and Aleatico di Gradoli (a sweet wine) along with Sangiovese and other varietals common in Central Italy, Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Ciliegiolo, and Canaiolo.

Author: Melissa Norton ©

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