Tre Bicchieri 2025: the top 10 wines of Lazio awarded by Gambero Rosso

Sep 26 2024, 18:06

Despite some excellent results, we must once again point out that Lazio has not managed to create true "quality wine districts." This is a real issue, considering the number of designations and the fact that these districts do indeed exist

The profile of Lazio that emerges from Gambero Rosso's Vini d'Italia 2025 guide confirms both the strengths and weaknesses of the region.

Tre Bicchieri 2025 Lazio: positives and negatives

On the positive side, there is the incredible variety in the high-quality wine scene: from Ponza to the calanchi of Viterbo, our Tre Bicchieri winners are scattered across the entire region. However, this also highlights the fact that Lazio has not yet succeeded in establishing true "quality wine districts." This is particularly concerning given the number of denominations and the reality that these districts do exist—such as the Castelli Romani, the Terre del Cesanese, the area stretching from Anzio to Cori, and the Etruscan Hills of Viterbo. Yet, none of these have emerged as a decisive force in the production of high-quality wine for the region.

On the other hand, there is also the immense variety of grape varieties among the top wines: in the 10 wines awarded Tre Bicchieri, we find a remarkable 14 different grape varieties, ranging from Biancolella to Malvasia del Lazio, from Grechetto to Cesanese, as well as Merlot, Grenache, Viognier, and Chardonnay. This demonstrates how traditions from Ponza or Frascati find their counterparts, for example, in the hills of Tuscia, which are adept at producing high-quality red wines from international grape varieties.

However, the beauty of this diversity also reveals a downside: it is clear that the native grape varieties struggle to set the "direction" for the region’s winemaking, much more so than in most of Italy's other wine-growing regions.

Tre Bicchieri 2025 Lazio: comebacks and new entries

Among the awardees, Casale Marchese returns to Tre Bicchieri after 13 years, having last been awarded in 2012 for Clemens. This time, the award is even more significant, as it is for a Frascati Superiore, a wine historically considered one of the most representative and typical of the region, though its appeal has faded in recent years. Another new entry is the first Tre Bicchieri awarded to a sparkling wine, given to a historic label in this category for the region, the Metodo Classico Sergio Mottura.