From: Lazio, Italy
Blend: 34% Chardonnay, 33% Sauvignon, 33% Trebbiano
Taste: This blend of Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, and Trebbiano is elegant and friendly, with bright notes of fresh herbs and citrus zest, crisp apple, and a kiss of stony minerality on the finish. The juicy acidity means it’s impossible not to go in for another sip and makes for a beautiful food wine. Suppose your white wine type includes wines like Roero Arneis, Erbaluce di Caluso, Chablis, Cheverny Blanc, Alsatian white wines, white wines from Alto Adige, Friuli, Slovenia, and Rías Baixas. In that case, you’ll find a new favorite here!
Pairing: Go for pairings that incorporate fresh ingredients and citrus. Mediterranean herbs, fantastic olive oil, and meals that incorporate seasonal produce, pasta, seafood or light poultry are all excellent inspiration points when selecting your pairing. Some ideas for inspiration easily found in Lazio include Pasta all Gricia/Pasta all Amatriciana, Fettuccine ai Funghi Porcini, Porchetta, Gnocchi alla Romana, Pasta alla Carbonara, (details below for the following) Bazzoffia, Sbroscia, Pollo alla Romana, Pollo con Capperi, Pizza Romana, & Trapizzino. With that inspiration in mind, we’re sharing a recipe for Monkfish With Caper Butter by Florence Fabricant.
Bazzoffia: (Pronounced bahz-zohf-fee-ah in Italian)
This is a very traditional dish made from seasonal produce in Sezze e Priverno, primarily in the spring and summer. Peas, beans, artichokes, lemon, lettuce, onions and olive oil are all stewed together until tender. Slices of stale bread are placed in the bottom of bowls where an egg is cracked on top. The hot vegetables are ladled on top, cooking the egg and softening the bread. It is then finished with pecorino cheese.
Sbroscia: (Pronounced sbroh-shah in Italian)
Also known as zuppa di lago or “lake soup”, this is yet another good example of how lazian cooking likes to use up stale bread while taking advantage of what grows well in the area or what can be caught. Originating from the Bolsena area, this dense fish soup is made from tench, eel, pike and perch which are stewed with mint, potatoes, garlic, onion, tomatoes, old bread, spicy peppers and olive oil. This is not my favorite but Italians who live inland adore these kinds of fish.
Pollo alla Romana: (Pronounced pohl-loh ahl-lah roh-mah-nah in Italian)
This is a delicious way to taste Lazio if you love chicken. The whole chicken is cut up into pieces, browned and then braised in white wine with tomatoes, peppers and oil until just tender. It is then finished with a bit of oregano and it’s done. Simple and delicious!
Pollo con Capperi: (Pronounced pohl-loh cohn cahp-peh-ree in Italian)
This salty secondo is not only memorable but easy to make. The whole chicken is cut up and browned as in pollo alla romana and then cooked with white wine, anchovies, capers, parsley, garlic and black pepper. The sauce is puréed until smooth and served over the succulent chicken pieces.
Pizza Romana: (Pronounced peez-zah roh-mah-nah in Italian)
Also known as scrocchiarella, meaning the crunchy one. The crust of this pizza is so thin, almost like a cracker due to the addition of olive oil and less water in the dough. Unlike other pizzas that are stretched by hand, this dough is firmer and must be rolled with the help of a rolling pin.
Trapizzino: (Pronounced trah-peez-zee-noh in Italian)
If you are going to try only one street food this should be it. The name trapizzino is made from the words pizza and tramezzino meaning pizza-sandwich. A triangle-shaped piece of pizza dough is stuffed with foods that would typically be difficult to eat on the go such as meatballs, eggplant parmigiano or artichokes. A good one should be crunchy on the outside but have a fluffy interior from both the fluffy pizza dough and filling.
About the winery. Casale del Giglio was founded in 1967 by Dr. Berardino Santarelli, a native of the Appenine hill town of Amatrice.
The estate lies between the towns of Aprilia and Latina in the Agro Pontino valley, some 50 kms. south of Rome. Unlike other parts of the Latium region, or other regions of Italy, this territory was still uncharted in viticultural terms when Berardino Santarelli and his son Antonio launched their research project in 1985.
Endorsed by the Agricultural Department of Latium’s Regional Government, the project involved researchers of international standing, many of whom still contribute to Casale del Giglio’s research today; Prof. Attilio Scienza from Milan University’s ‘Istituto di Coltivazioni Arboree’, Prof. Angelo Costacurta from the ‘Istituto Sperimentale per la Viticoltura di Conegliano’ (Treviso) and Prof. Fulvio Mattivi from the Research & Innovation Centre at the ‘Fondazione Edmund Mach’ – ‘Istituto Agrario Provinciale San Michele all’Adige’ (Trento) – where Casale del Giglio’s winemaker, Paolo Tiefenthaler, was trained.
This wine. ’Satrico’ takes its name from the pre-Roman city of Satricum, a nod to the ruins of the ancient settlement that can still be seen today in the area surrounding Casale del Giglio’s vineyards in the hamlet of Le Ferriere.
At the winery’s founding in 1967, this region within Lazio was relatively unexplored from a wine-making point of view, encouraging innovation and creativity, which in turn has brought us some really tasty and unique wines.
