Region: Lazio

Zone:

Atina DOC

The Atina DOC zone covers an area in the southeastern part of Lazio, near the border with the neighboring region of Molise, and it covers 12 municipalities in the province of Frosinone, including the town of Atina.

The wines are named after the ancient town of Atina, which was probably part of ancient Samnite tribal areas that, in their countless wars against the Romans (War of Allied 91-89 B.C.), built impressive defenses. However, in the 3^rd century B.C. Atina was finally defeated after which the area was first a prefecture and later a colony of emperor Augustus allotted own civil rights. The Roman poet Virgil called the city Atina Potens.

When the barbarians invaded Italy during the decline of the Roman Empire, they caused a vast destruction and looting of the area. Atina, however, flourished in the middle ages, only to be destroyed, unfortunately, in a huge earthquake in 1349. After the earthquake, the Cantelmo family rebuilt the city.

Today, Atina is a peaceful town with many tourist attractions, including the ruins of an ancient polygonal wall dating back to the 5^th and 4^th century BC, the magnificent Palazzo Ducale and the Cathedral of Santa Maria Assunta dating back to the 18^th century.

Despite its ancient history, Atina’s wine history is fairly recent. In fact, it first started in the 19^th century, when a local agronomist, Pasquale Visocchi, after a trip to France, had acquired a flair for trade and had also seen the potential for growing Cabernet and Merlot grapes in the area.

Visocchi was right in his assumptions. Right from the beginning, the outcome was quite impressive and Atina has since improved the quality of its wines year by year. The zone got its DOC appellation in 1999, which meant that the producers have paid more attention to the new wine making methods and storage techniques ever since.

One of the effects of the DOC appellation is an increased interest from abroad for Atina, which produces two types of red wine. 

Read more about the wines from Atina DOC by clicking i the top menu in the right side.