Daniele Nardi's website

What wine do Romans (present and ancient) drink?

It’s not a fancy wine from far away. Romans – just like people from most cities in Italy – drink locally. In Rome, people at home or at a Trattoria (typical inexpensive restaurant) mostly drink wines from the Castelli region, which is right outside Rome. Frascati is probably the most common. It is a white wine made from a blend of different grape varieties. What makes these wines unique is the volcanic soil, which gives the wines plenty of minerality. However, these are typically not thought-provoking, geeky wines. The ones you will encounter tend to be light, crisp, with some fruit and minerality. They also tend to be inexpensive, and people drink them mostly from 1 liter carafes rather than from bottles.

This particular wine is a consistently good Frascati that you can also find in the United States. It is a blend mostly made of Malvasia (about 70%). The color is very pale, golden. The nose is medium-intense, with apple, lemon, honey, and a very faint hint of gasoline and grass. (The gasoline smell is what you frequently get in Rieslings). Honestly, it smells a bit like a dessert wine, with dried apricots too – but it is bone dry. Medium body, lovely acidity, good texture and weight. I am surprised by the weight – maybe some residual sugar adds to the texture. It also has a long finish, with fruit and mineral (gasoline) dominating even in the palate.