Latium

DOC for white wine in the wine-growing region of Latium in Italy. The zone includes the communes of Bolsena, Capodimonte, Gradoli, Grotte di Castro, Marta, Montefiascone, from which it takes its name, and San Lorenzo Nuovo in the province of Viterbo. The name of the wine is derived from an interesting legend that dates back to the early 12th century. Bishop Johannes Fugger was among the entourage of German emperor Heinrich V. (1086-1125). A servant of the bishop was sent ahead of the main group in 1111, with the duty of testing the wines as well as the hostelries of the area, by visiting all the pubs and hostelries. It was agreed that if he found a house that offered good wine, he would write “Est! (translates as: “this is it!”) next to the entrance in chalk. At a guest house in the town of Montefiascone he was so enthusiastic about the wine served that he documented this with a triple „Est! Est!! Est!!!” on the door. Incidentally, Monsignore Fugger is buried in the church of San Flaviano in Montefiascone. At the time, the wine was made from Moscato grapes, and was most probably sweet. Today, the white wine is a blend made from Procanico = Trebbiano Toscano (65%), Malvasia Bianca Toscana (20%) and Rossetto = Trebbiano Giallo (15%). A Spumante version is also made. Both are available in secco, abboccato and amabile (dry, off-dry and sweet) versions. As a tourist attraction, the wine is also bottled in a flat pulcinella bottle. The DOC white wine Orvieto, which is made from the same varieties, is similar.