When In Rome.

I sometimes joke about ‘praying to the wine Gods, as in “don’t spit out that wine, you’ll anger the wine Gods”… etc.  Of course in ancient Rome Bacchus was the ‘God of Wine’ (also known as Dionysus to the Greeks). Other than Bacchus I don’t typically think of Rome in regards to wine. Italy, sure, but not Rome. Then I discovered a little bottle last week.

I honestly bought the wine because it was on sale.  I had no idea that I was about to embark on a journey that would have me researching and studying the geography of Rome, but that’s what Wine Expedition is all about.

Here’s what I learned:

Just southeast of Rome in the Lazio (or Latium) region, is a group of closely-knit villages called the Castelli Romani (the castles of Rome).  In olden days, the nobles and their families would spend their summers in the region, enjoying the mild climate.  The Pope still maintains a summer residence there.  The area is known for producing a fine white wine called Frascati, but it turns out they know a thing or two about red as well.

VIlla Simone is a winery in the Monte Porzio Catone commune run by fourth-generation winegrower Piero Costantini and his winemaker nephew Lorenzo.  They have over 20 hectares of organicaly cultivated vineyards, and it’s there that the 2004 Villa Simon Ferro Seta was born.

In Italian, Ferro means Iron and Seta means silk; two words that seem to be at odds with each other, but the winemaker explains that FERRO ‘points out Sangiovese’s pride and strength’ and Seta ‘praises the colour and elegance of Cesanese’.  What is Cesanese you ask?  I did the same, and thanks to the internet, I quickly leanred that it’s an ancient Roman red wine grape that’s grown in Lazio since the days of middle earth, and Mr. Consantini is dedicated to expressing the grape’s elegance and prestige.  So this bottle has 45% Sangiovese, 45% of the  Cesanese 10% ‘other grapes’.

Now that I’ve given you my research paper, I should probably tell you what happened when I popped the cork…

Right away I noticed the deep majenta color of the wine.  The nose was curious; lots of dark fruit and berries with a sweet, floral thing going on in the background.  Once I swirled a bit more and finally took a nice big sip, I was overcome by the soft, silky mouthfeel (Hmm, there’s that silk thing; must be the Cesanese grape!).  Strong berries and a hint of violet filled my mouth- it’s a big, full, fruity wine (must be the Sangiovese’s ‘Iron’), with subtle vanilla and spice.   Again, the velvety texture/structure of the wine keeps the fruit in check and with the accompanying soft, elegant tannins, my mouth was buzzing for the minute or so before my next taste.  I sealed the bottle and called it a night.

…and when I opened it again the next day, I was in for a treat.  The wine had really opened up and was twice as bright, powerful  and silky smooth as the day before.

And there you have it.  What appeared to be a bottle of wine from the sale rack turned out to be a gem with an incredible story behind it (as many bottles are).  This wine was a true Wine Expedition.