WINE
Like every territory of our country, even the Tuscia Viterbese stands out thanks to its typical products, true delights. Let's start with the wine, whose production is very rooted in Tuscia thanks to a particularly favorable climate and the morphological characteristics of the land: a centuries-old wine making tradition that led to the establishment of the Strada dei Vini della Tuscia, an enogastronomic itinerary through which it is possible to cover the areas of production of local wines, in which 7 wines are distinguished by DOC.
The EST! EST!! EST!!! of Montefiascone, white wine made from the so called Trebbiano toscano grapes Procanico, yellow Trebbiano called Rossetto, long white Malvasia and / or Malvasia del Lazio. It is also produced in the Classic and Sparkling types. The lands lying on the slopes of Lake Bolsena, provide grapes for fine wines, elegant but also well structured and harmonious. To enjoy the EST! EST!! EST!!! we advise you to visit the Wine Fair in Montefiascone which takes place every year during the month of August. Aleatico of Gradoli, obtained from red grapes on the slopes of the Volsini Mountains in the area of Lake of Bolsena, is an aromatic DOC wine produced from 95% minimum aleatic grapes in different Aleatico types of Gradoli, Aleatico of Gradoli liquoroso, Aleatico of Gradoli liquoroso reserve and Aleatico of Gradoli passito. For this liqueur wine the minimum alcohol content is 12%, while for the Passito it is 16%. The best occasion to taste this wine is the Purgatory Lunch, a re-enactment perpetuated from the far away Middle Ages of a meal of penance consumed every year on Ash Wednesday "in honor of the souls of the Purgatory.”
Vignanello PDO wines are produced on the slopes of the Cimini hills. It’s either white, made from Trebbiano (Toscano and/or Giallo) and Malvasia (di Candia and/or del Chianti) grapes, or red from Sangiovese and Ciliegiolo grapes or Greco from Greco grapes.
The production of Orvieto DOC extends in the Tiber valley between the provinces of Terni and Viterbo. The specification includes the Procanico and Grechetto grapes (minimum 60%) and the types with which it is produced is made from dry, sweetish, sweet, superior, late harvest and mildew noble. The wines that come under the production of Colli Etruschi Viterbesi or Tuscia DOC, created in 1996, are produced in a vast territory that includes almost forty municipalities in the province of Viterbo. The Cerveteri, whose production area extends along the coastal strip up to Tarquinia. The combination of nature of the terrain and climatic factors make this territory particularly suited to the cultivation of the grapes. The Tarquinia DOC includes the types of white wine (also Amabile and Frizzante), Rosso (also amabile and Novello) and Rosato. The three IGTs are also worthy of note: Lazio, Colli Cimini and Civitella D'Agliano.
The collective Tuscia Viterbese quality brand, established in 2003 by the Viterbo Chamber of Commerce, has greatly contributed to enhance this typicality of the territory.
EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL
Also called the green gold of Tuscia
An ancient Mediterranean legend tells that Athena and Poseidon one day challenged themselves to offer the most beautiful gift to the people, Zeus would have been the judge of the race between the two powerful deities. Poseidon, striking the ground with his trident, gave rise to the most powerful and quickest horse, able to win all battles. Athena instead hit the rock with her lance and gave birth to a beautiful tree, the first olive tree, able to bear fruit bringing wellbeing and peace. From this passage the importance of the olive tree is already evident, that is oil for mankind, today used not only in the kitchen but also for its own curative peculiarities and in the field of cosmetics. In recent years, thanks to a wise and organized work, the olive oil production chain of Tuscia Viterbese has reached an excellent level with a high quality product thanks to the changes introduced in the cultivation, harvesting and pressing systems. The whole territory of the Tuscia Viterbese is among the most prestigious realities in Italy for the production of extra virgin, such as attested by the recognition of two DOP "Canino" and "Tuscia". La Tuscia offers many areas that produce a excellent extra virgin olive oil, we recommend tasting it on bruschetta or as a seasoning for meat, vegetables and legumes.
CIMINI HAZELNUTS
Tozzetti
Along the slopes of the Cimini Mountains the cultivation of hazelnuts extends over eighteen thousand hectares, one of the most important agri-food products both in terms of turnover and quantity produced, placing the area among the first places at national level. The hazelnut is a roundish fruit that grows on bush trees and contains potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, iron, starch, proteins, fats, sugars, and vitamins A, B1 and C, making it an excellent food for all those who suffer from a lack of minerals or vitamins. The hazelnut is the main ingredient in many sweets typical of the Viterbo area such as "Tozzetti", but above all it is used by the confectionery industry to produce hazelnut cream. In the territory there is also the PDO "Nocciola romana" based on the characteristics of the "Tonda Gentile Romana" variety.
CHESTNUT OF MONTI CIMINI
The morphology of the Cimini Mountains and its altitudes also allow the production of chestnuts (and martini) which for years has characterized the mountain economy of Viterbese with a quality product marketed particularly in foreign markets. Even the chestnut, although for a limited area, had the recognition of the "Vallerano" Dop.
LAKE FISH
The two lakes Vico and Bolsena provide a heterogeneous fish variety, such as tench (with tender and tasty meat), the perch (famous for the delicate fillets that are prepared with typical recipes of the place), the whitefish (excellent grilled) and the eel of Bolsena which according to tradition was one of the causes of the "sin of gluttony" of Boniface VIII, who used to cook it drowned in Vernaccia, also mentioned by Dante.
DAIRY PRODUCTS
The sector of dairy products in the province of Viterbo has an extensive variety of types of cheese, part of the secular traditions and partly the result of research into innovative products along with the tastes and the consumer trends. Both standards have been evaluated in the specification of the Tuscia Viterbese cheeses, so as not to weaken the innovation capacity of companies in the name of some productive traditions that are not always reflected in the markets. In the disciplinary the element that we wanted to strongly enhance is the origin of the milk that must come from animals grazing in the pastures or in the provinces of Viterbo. The enhancement of the origin of the milk wants to highlight the primary role of the pastures of the territories of Tuscia Viterbese, conferring those qualitycharacteristics of genuineness and safety that can also be found from an organoleptic point of view in the finished product. A demonstration of what has just been said is the strong use of milk in the province of Viterbo for dairy products with a geographical origin (PDO and PGI), produced in the area as well as in Tuscany and in the province of Rome.
ORGANIC PRODUCTS
The production of organic food in Tuscia represents an economic reality, given the presence of about a thousand companies converted to the biological regime, today equal to more than 40% of the organic companies present throughout Lazio. These extraordinary products are often transformed by the companies to obtain high quality work from a healthy and qualitative point of view.
HONEY
The production of honey in the Tuscia Viterbese has a wide range of flower species that only one territory intact from the ecological and landscape point of view can guarantee. To assert these favorable conditions are the variety of flavors and nuances found in the honeys of Tuscia Viterbese, associated with an indisputable organoleptic quality. Among the productions we find, besides the monoflora honey, and millefiori, royal jelly, pollen and Propolis and plant extracts from infusion with high honey content (95%).
PASTRY AND BAKERY PRODUCTS
The products of pastry shops and ovens of the Tuscia Viterbese are a centuries-old expression of the religious and secular festivals and celebrations of the territory. Many facilities still produce with artisanal modality, using local quality raw materials (hazelnuts, wine, oil, chestnuts, etc.). Many of these processing are part of the national list of Traditional Agri-Food Products.
HIGH TUSCIA PRODUCTS
The products of Alta Tuscia Viterbese, already listed among the "Traditional Agri-Foodstuffs" are: Red Garlic of Proceno, the Farro del Pungolo of Acquapendente, the Cece of the straight furrow of Valentano, the bean of the Purgatory of Gradoli and the lentil of Onano. The deep and ancient link between these products and the local populations are confirmed by the perpetuation of environmentally friendly production techniques and in the consolidated culinary traditions, periodically recalled with festivals and village festivals.
THE LEPRINO GREEN RABBIT
The characteristics of the meat of the Leprino Green Rabbit of Viterbo are essentially due to two factors: the belonging of the animals to the "Leprino di Viterbo" breed, specifically selected due to the initiative of the Faculty of Agriculture of the University of Tuscia, and the methods of breeding. The breeding planned for the Green Leprino Rabbit of Viterbo is outdoors, so as to optimize the health conditions and eliminate the inhalation of unpleasant odors that are fixed in the meat. Animals are fed with non-medicated balanced feed or with hay or fresh fodder. The meats are considered of a particular value as they are rich from a protein point of view and have a low lipid content. Moreover the breeding does not allow the use of medicines and at the occurrence of any pathology symptom the animals are killed. Only vaccination is allowed and is optional.
POTATO
The potato included in the Tuscia Viterbese brand corresponds to the potato of the Alto Viterbese, traditional agri-food produce already included in the national list of typical products. The area involved in the production borders Umbria and Tuscany, north of Lake Bolsena, and fully includes the municipalities of Grotte di Castro, S. Lorenzo Nuovo, Gradoli, Latera, Bolsena, Onano, Acquapendente and Valentano. In this territory, rich in natural nutritional elements, the potato of the Alto Viterbese finds the ideal conditions to develop. Thanks to its natural predilection to loose soils of volcanic origin, permeable, poor of limestone, rich in potassium. The enhancement of the potato in the Alta Tuscia area has been enriched with the recognition of the "Alto Viterbese" PGI community brand that takes into consideration the ancient tradition productive and the natural vocation of these areas. The product is a tuber of regular shape and size, oval or elongated, with smooth skin and superficial eyes. The edible part consists of a light yellow colored paste, with a considerable starch content potassium and vitamin C; for some varieties the interior can be white or even pink. The techniques of crops provided for in the specification allow a minimum use of plant protection products, so that the content is lower than 50% when compared to the level of maximum residues allowed by current legislation.
FRESH AND WORKED MEAT
The fresh and processed meat of the Tuscia Viterbese brand comes from local breeding conducted according to methods close to the needs and welfare of animals, which must be fed by hay and GMO-free local fodder. Further quality elements introduced in the specification is the ban on the use of antibiotics, if not for therapeutic purposes, and growth promoters. Cured meats and sausages of the Viterbese Tuscia brand are mainly traditional and typical, the result of local craftsmanship producing to a wide range of quality products.
MUSHROOMS
Along the slopes of the Cimini Mountains, particularly in the undergrowth of chestnut woods, it is possible to find excellent porcini. Renowned are the localities of San Martino and Canepina, where in autumn it is possible to taste the porcini cooked in the oven with potatoes. Equally important are the ferlenghi, so called because they are near the bushes of ferule. These mushrooms have a truly exceptional flavor, they grow abundantly in the area of Tarquinia and Monteromano, and are particularly suitable for sauces and soups.
