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There is a Roman saying, in the local dialect, which says: “Better a glass of Frascati, than all the water of the Tiber”. This tells us that we are dealing with a wine of great importance in the gastronomic tradition of Lazio and, more particularly, of the Roman tradition. Let’s find out more about this wine!
Frascati DOC is a white wine named after the town of Frascati, just on the outskirts of Rome, and in the 80s, one of the most famous and exported Italian wines. Behind a bottle of Frascati lies a long and fascinating history. Already famous and appreciated by the Romans who called it the “golden wine”, the wine was among the first in Italy to obtain the recognition of the designation of origin (DOC).
The name “Frascati” is derived from the ancient custom of local taverns to display a leafy branch, a “frasca”, on their doors to use as firewood. For this reason, in the local dialect, the taverns were called “Fraschette”, and the town that housed them was called Frascati. This term was later extended to wine. The branch hanging from the doors of the “Fraschette” also indicated the period during which the producer could sell the wine, that is, until the tree branch held green leaves.
Among the most illustrious connoisseurs of Frascati, we highlight Marco Porzio Catone, known as “the Censor”, who, in his work entitled De Agricoltura, laid down the rules of cultivation and winemaking. Coming from a noble family of winegrowers, he used to work on his land with his employees, sharing their meals and wines with them.
It is the mountain town Frascati that gives its name both to the famous white wine and to the grapes that are grown on the gentle hills located north of the city. Almost half of the Castelli Romani wine production comes from Frascati, and experts believe that the Colli Albani mountains volcanic soil provide the Lazio region with the best white wines.
The zone is suitable for viticulture due to its cool and slightly humid climate and the wine grows in good, mineral-black soil, which is appropriate for the grapes Malvasia and Trebbiano.
Frascati DOC is available in two versions, Secco and Ama.
It is a blend of different white grapes, usually, but not always, including Malvasia Puntinata, Trebbiano Toscano and Malvasia del Lazio amongst the others.
Frascati DOC is a full-bodied, straw-yellow colored, elegant wine, more or less intense, with a dry and savoury taste: you must absolutely order it whenever you are in a restaurant in Rome. Excellent to drink as an aperitif.
Frascati wine pairs well with antipasti, lentil soup, pasta with beans/chickpeas and many typical Roman dishes such as Bucatini all’amatriciana, Saltimbocca (sliced veal rolled with prosciutto and sage and shallow-fried), spaghetti alla carbonara, tagliatelle, fettuccine and spaghetti with cheese and pepper known as Caccio e Pepe.
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When was the last time you had dinner in an Italian restaurant in Canada and you thought you were dining in Italy? That’s exactly how “Ospitalità Italiana Certified”restaurants want you to feel when you visit their fine dining establishments.
Ospitalità Italiana is an official certification from Unioncamere, Italy’s federation of local Chambers of Commerce and Industry, that tells you that the food you are enjoying is unquestionably Italian: products are authentic, ingredients genuine and recipes true to the thousand year history of Italian cuisine.
Canada is home to some leading Italian Chefs. Passionate and innovative, many have refined their skills and advanced their knowledge directly in Italy. In addition, Montréal boasts a fabulous cooking school ITHQ where young aspiring chefs learn Italian technic and Italian traditional recipes from the masters.
So the next time you make reservations for an Italian dinner in a Montreal restaurant, ask if they’ve received the Ospitalità Italiana seal of approval. You will enjoy the true Italian taste.
