This phrase, inspired by Giuseppe Verdi's Rigoletto, sums up my joy at the creation of the Olevano Romano Cesanese Consortium.
We are a new winery in Paliano, Donna Vittori Borgo Agricolo, and we never understood why it was so complicated to say that Cesanese is a grape variety born in a small area between the provinces of Rome and Ciociaria (Frosinone), perhaps brought by the same monks who founded the monasteries of Vallepietra and Subiaco (as Piero Riccardi says).
However, we understood that to solve the problem, we had to eliminate the imbalance between a DOCG area with a protection consortium and a DOC area without one.
In a true masterstroke, Regional Councilor Giancarlo Righini and Agriculture Minister Francesco Lollobrigida authorized the creation of the Consortium in the Roman part of the Cesanese region. A process we'd call Solomonic if we were poets, or top-down if we were managers.
On Monday morning, the Olevano Romano hall was packed with people for the "Welcome to the Consortium" ceremony, and the presentation was one of the best events I've attended this year.
Everyone reiterated that the two consortia must now talk to each other, starting with Giancarlo Righini, Councilor for Agriculture and Budget of the Lazio Region, who was particularly proud: "Viticulture in Lazio has grown, and today Lazio wines are receiving important recognition, such as the 2021 Cesanese Riserva by Damiano Ciolli, from Olevano Romano, listed among the top 10 wines of the year in the FIS Bibenda guide.
Agricultural employment grew by 7.6% and exports by 17.4%.
But numbers alone aren't enough, and agriculture as a whole can be the driving force behind the revitalization of inland areas, and the new wine program focuses on tourism and the diversification of farms."
Many of the speakers read from their own writings because they were too excited to speak off the cuff: even those more accustomed to speaking in public, like Mayor Umberto Quaresima and the Honorable Angelo Rossi, had voices broken with emotion.
But everyone, absolutely everyone, has emphasized the need to bring all the Cesanese lands together to promote this area as the true wine tourism hub of the Lazio Region. 99.7% of Cesanese is grown in the Lazio region (especially in the areas south of Rome) and is vinified as a single varietal: this makes it the de facto "king of Lazio's grape varieties" and thus a symbol of our region's identity.
Being identified as the grape's homeland therefore takes on strategic importance in moving from production to the wine experience. To give our region a territory characterized by great wines and so many fantastic producers.
Consortium president Marco Antonelli presented the new creation, also speaking about Restanza and the emotional and passionate dimension of all the producers, especially the younger ones who have not been enchanted by the illusions of abroad.
Marco is also president of the Strada del Cesanese di Olevano, anticipating the new role of the consortia, which can/should also promote tourism. We met in his role a few days ago in Affile .
He then let each of the other board members present a presentation on the topics they will be curating, and, naturally, Letizia Rocchi's presentation left everyone speechless. It couldn't have been otherwise: Letizia has a PhD in vineyard management and, with her husband, Damiano Ciolli, manages the winery that produced the best wine in Italy according to the Bibenda guide.
However, I must admit, I was moved when I heard Alberto Giacobbe, vice president of the Consortium, speak. Thanks to him, we began vinifying our first bottles and he's always available to us if we have any problems. Alberto is a prime example because his winery is located right between Paliano and Olevano, practically half in the province of Rome and half in that of Frosinone, and he participates in both consortia!
The morning's closing remarks were entrusted to regional councilor Flavio Cera, who defines himself not only as a Bellegrano but also as an Olevanese, and Giovanni Pica of Arsial, who expertly supported the process. And last but not least, welcome greetings from Pina Terenzi, president of the Cesanese del Piglio DOCG Consortium.
The tasty light lunch organized by Andrea Tranquilli's Cerquette allowed us to meet and continue our conversation over a taste of good Cesanese.
But as we all know, Andrea is a certainty !
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