After a few hot, touristy days in Rome, we were ready for a break! We looked online for 'things to…read moredo outside Rome with food & wine' and we stumbled upon this little gem of a 'Half-Day Wine Tour' from Rome. We sent a booking form through the website and they answered us in a few hours confirming our booking for the next day and clear instructions on how to take the train to Frascati from Roma Termini and where to meet our guide at the Frascati train station. Our guide Paola was a breath of fresh air! A Frascati local with perfect English, an amazing sense of humour and an a vast knowledge for everything Frascati food & wine. She walked us through the historic center of Frascati (which is postcard perfect), explaining the rich history of the town and the volcanic area where Frascati is located. I had no idea Frascati was such an ancient wine region. The village is breezy and at least 10 degrees cooler than the center of Rome;) We stoped for a snack of 'wine cookies' and 'jug wine' at the local bakery where we met the 94 year-old matriarch and baker 'Nonna Rosana' who was so kind as to pose for a photo with us :) Paola picked up more snacks from the bakery which she explained would be paired with the wines at the winery later on... so intriguing! After our snack at the bakery, our group was seamlessly pick up by 2 large black Mercedes vans and driven to the winery (about a 10 minute drive).
Upon arrival at the winery we were absolutely blown away by the gorgeous, lush greenery, vineyard and olive grove and gorgeous 16th century farmhouse & winery. We met the owner & winemaker Paola who is the 7th generation winemaker and the only female winemaker in Frascati! She was incredibly kind and showed us around the property showing us the most beautiful views of the vineyard, the deep and vast ancient Roman wine cave and telling us how the winemaking process has evolved over the years and antidotes of her family's fascinating history (they hid jews in the wine caves during WW2!).
After this incredibly interesting tour we were brought to the beautiful tasting room, with the most spectacular view over Rome, to taste the three delicious wines Paola and her family make: Frascati Superiore DOCG, Red Cesanese IGT and Sweet Cannellino DOCG, each paired with the lovely baked goods (and delicious 'porchetta') picked up from Nonna Rosanna at the bakery in town. We were instructed as to which snack to pair with each wine as to appreciate each of the wines to their fullest. We purchased 3 bottles of wine (very reasonably priced) and 1 bottle of their delicious olive oil.
We spent a bit more time at the winery taking pictures and absorbing the fantastic energy this place produces until it was time to go to lunch! We were picked up by the same drivers from before and driven back to the center of Frascati for an amazing lunch at a little family run-restaurant. The meal was seasonal & fresh and paired with our favourite wine from the tasting. After lunch we stayed in Frascati for a couple of hours to enjoy the breeze and charming little piazzas filled up in the PM with picnic tables for dinner 'all fresco'.
When I compare this experience to other the other 'food tours' we did in Rome, there is no comparison! This whole half-day tour only costs 55 euro which includes everything, and the day was so easy, natural and for the first time on our 2 week vacation in Italy, we truly fell in love with Italia! Grazie!