40 Years of DOC: Latium pays tribute to Frascati Wine
Staff Writer - May 7, 2006
 On May 6, the DOC Frascati celebrated its 40th anniversary in Rome.
In 1966, the first few Italian wines were awarded the DOC appellation. One of those 'pioneers' there was a wine which had been known and appreciated for centuries and was usually considered, even abroad, the symbol of Frascati itself, or the area where it comes from and takes its name.
The anniversary was celebrated with a tasting at Palazzo Rospigliosi, where visitors had the opportunity to savor up to 30 different brands.
"We are especially fond of Frascati," said Daniela Valentini, Latium's Regional Councilor for Agriculture, "because it was the first wine from our region to be awarded the DOC. This is an important and appealing wine with a long tradition. It will have to play an increasingly important role in our restaurants and wine-stores," continued Valentini, "because it is a real symbol of our region".
Indeed, the celebrations at Palazzo Rospigliosi were the first of a series of events dedicated to this wine.
"Palatium, the regional wine merchants with premises in Via Frattina, will host the companies belonging to the Frascati Consortium" said Arsial's Extraordinary Commissioner, Fabio Massimo Pallottini. "In fact, for a whole week the chef will create special meals to be paired with the Frascati."
The anniversary also offered the opportunity to launch a new quality label, which displays an alphanumeric code to guarantee the quality of the wine. By sending an SMS text message to the number 340/7675082 quoting the code printed on the new label, customers will be provided with the complete technical information about the wine.
"It's sort of X-ray examination to ensure transparency," explained Pallottini. "In addition, let's not forget that this system allows us to add more information, less technical but not less interesting. Soon, the answering messages will suggest recipes which best pair with each single wine."
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