Lazio, Italy’s most central region, boasts an extensive western seacoast on the “knee of the boot.” It is here that you find Rome, and some 50 kilometres further south, Casale del Giglio and its wines.
How has Casale del Giglio become an icon of central Italy’s wines and a must-have in all the homes and restaurants of the capital? To understand their success in Italy and abroad it helps to know how and where it all began. Casale del Giglio was founded in 1967 by their “pater familias” Berardino Santarelli, a Roman wine merchant who saw the potential of the uncharted land in the Agro Pontino valley.
He realized that with its position between the hills and the sea, a specific microclimate and the promise of indigenous root stock, the territory offered a unique opportunity to attempt something no-one had ever attempted before. In 1985 Santarelli family invested heavily in viticulture research, and in a close and long term collaboration with the oenologist Paolo Tiefenthaler, they have succeeded in totally revolutionizing the Agro Pontino valley’s approach to wine making.
The models of viticulture which inspired Casale del Giglio’s research are those traditionally adopted in Bordeaux, California and Australia, wine producing areas of the world influenced by a maritime climate, just as the Agro Pontino benefits from its proximity to the Tyrrhenian sea. More than 20 different wines are produced in Casale del Giglio’s vineyards today; some from indigenous grape varieties like Bellone and Cesanese, others from French varietals that have proved they can thrive in this warm, but sea- tempered region.
In addition to the usual suspects like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Merlot and Syrah, there have been some very successful surprises such as Petit Manseng, Viognier, Tempranillo and Petit Verdot.
In tandem with Casale del Giglio’s efforts over time to identify and select the Italian and international grape varieties best suited to Lazio’s local microclimate, Santarellis have never ceased to focus on those vines native to Lazio which have been rediscovered in districts not far from their principle vineyards.
Such varieties include the Biancolella of Ponza, the Bellone of Anzio and, more recently, the Pecorino of Accumoli and the Cesanese from the Province of Frosinone. Casale del Giglio currently offers a range of 23 products (9 white and 8 red wines, a rosé, a late harvest, 3 grappas and an extra virgin olive oil) – a cluster of wines for which we can rightly aspire to coin the term, with all due respect to our colleagues in Tuscany, Super Lazios!
Now you can explore them in British Columbia where the importing agency is World Wine Synergy Inc.
意大利精品酒莊 – 百合酒莊
文：Joe Leary
百合酒莊(Casale del Giglio)座落於羅馬以北五十公里處，意大利中西部海岸的拉齊奧區（Lazio）。出產的葡萄酒不僅在意大利中部最具代表性，而且極受當地居民和餐廳的歡迎。
説起百合酒莊，要從1967年羅馬酒商Bernadino Santarelli家族開始説起。當時Santarelli看中了Pontino山谷這片尚未開發土地的潛力，它位於山巒和大海之間，獨特的氣候和土壤讓他看到前所未有的良機。
1985年，該家族與釀酒師Paolo Tiefenthaler長期合作，展開葡萄酒的栽培研究，最終革新了Agro Pontino山谷的釀酒工藝。
由於Agro Pontino山谷靠近第勒尼安海（Tyrrhenian Sea），他們在葡萄種植方面，深受同樣處於海洋氣候，著名產酒區法國波爾多，美國加州，以及澳大利亞傳統種植模式的影響。如今，百合酒莊生產二十多種葡萄酒。事實證明，來自Bellone和Cesanese的本土品種以及法國品種在這片溫暖的海岸地區可以茁壯成長。
除了出產傳統風格的葡萄酒：霞多麗，長相思，梅洛和西拉之外，還成功地生產出小曼森，維奧尼，坦佩尼約和小維多等其他風格的葡萄酒。
針對本地氣候特點，百合酒莊繼續專注於栽培拉齊奧本土以及臨近地區的葡萄樹，包括Ponza的Biancolella，Anzio的Bellone和Accumoli的Pecorino和Frosinone省的Cesanese。與此同時，繼續發掘其他的意大利和國際葡萄品種。
目前，百合酒莊出產一系列葡萄酒，九種白葡萄酒和八種紅葡萄酒；玫瑰紅；晚收的三種格拉巴酒和特級初榨橄欖油，簡直可以用「超級拉齊奧」來命名。
在此，對百合酒莊的同事們表示敬意！乾杯！
We are all immigrants 我們都是移民