Lazio’s beautiful vineyards

Just an hour-and-a-half by car from Hotel Eden is this esteemed wine estate in Montefiascone. Cotarella is a family name that’s extremely well-regarded within the Italian wine world, and this state-of-the-art winery in Lazio is just one of its three estates that are slowly taking over the hills of Tuscany and Umbria, too. The Latium wines here are almost exclusively grown from ancient vine varieties – Roscetto is one of the winery’s favourite native white grapes and after years of experimentation they’re just one of a handful of Italian winemakers who exclusively produce with this Chardonnay-like vine.

Via Cassia Nord, Montefiascone 01027

Head just an hour south of the capital’s centre to find this cluster of south-facing vineyards near the tiny town of Cori. It’s a generational-run estate that’s been overseen by the Carpineti family since 1986, and is home to a hallmark of indigenous grapes that you won’t find anywhere else in the country. This is a winery that’s intent on preserving all things local. Rigorous organic processes have cultivated what was once an overlooked wine-making spot into an area that produces some of the highest-quality wines available in the region. Tastings here take place within the quaint ancient family palazzo, while the newly redesigned cellar oversees the processing, storage and aging of the wine.

Via Velletri-Anzio 3, Cori 04010

The vision of Armando and Felice Mergè, who took charge of the vineyard back in 1996, Poggio Le Volpi is a gorgeous gourmet winery. Beautifully situated within the Alban Hills, this wine estate is only around 20km southeast of Rome. Technologies at the winery are about as modern as they get, and combined with traditional grapes like Malvasia del Lazio and Trebbiano, are the backbone to the quality of products produced here. Felice is the winery’s expert enologist; using experimentation and a passion for innovation, he has tended an incredibly niche selection of native grapes into some of the most exclusive labels you can find on the national market.

Via Fontana Candida 3/c, Monte Porzio Catone 00078

The Castelli Romani hill towns are some of the largest wine producers in the Lazio region, and this research-based winery in Grottaferrata makes some if its best Frascati wine. Built on the ruins of an ancient villa, Castel de Paolis is a developmental wine estate that invested over eight years of research before starting its national production back in 1992. Today, the experimental vineyards include a number of specialist wines which have been awarded DOC or DOCG status. As well as two onsite dining rooms and a dedicated showroom, you can hop on a guided two-hour tour here to see the vineyards and antique barrel cellar – a redesign of the winery uncovered ancient Roman water cisterns in the cellar, which are now used to store the barrique barrels that age the wine.

Via Val de Paolis, Grottaferrata 00046

This enormous 200-hectare estate, sitting on the slopes of the Latium Volcano, is one of the most urban vineyards you can visit in the Lazio area. Owned and run by a family with a noble lineage, this winery is a pioneer in organic winemaking cultivation: all grapes are picked and pressed by hand before they’re fermented in old oak barrels within the natural caves of the historical cellar. Location-wise, the estate is almost equidistant between the Castelli Romani towns and St. Peter’s Basilica in the Vatican. A day trip here should also include a visit to the nearby Appia Antica road – the region’s famous cobbled thoroughfare that dates back to the ancient Roman empire.

Via di Foranello 19, Roma 00134

This young and exciting 80-hectare wine estate is a glorious addition to Velletri in the Alban Hills. Just under 40km from Rome, Omina Romana is the working vision of the Börner family, who since 2007 have been reinvigorating this ancient wine estate’s local Latium vines. The wines produced here are mostly native-grown, including grape varieties like the indigenous white Bellone and the red Cesanese grape. The result is a range of wines that are local, elegant and characteristically complex, with natural processes and a long refinement period ensuring that every bottle has been matured to perfection.

Via Fontana Parata 75, Velletri 00049