Vinalia Priora

Lazio's wine scene gathers in Frascati

Vinalia Priora is the wine festival that transforms Frascati, in the heart of the Castelli Romani near Rome, into the capital of Lazio's wine scene every spring. The venue is one of the city's most evocative: the Museo Tuscolano - Scuderie Aldobrandini, located in Piazza Guglielmo Marconi. This 17th-century building, overlooking the town's main square, fills for two days with tasting stands, wine glasses, and lively conversations about wine.

The event is promoted by the Municipality of Frascati in partnership with Frascati Scienza and Iperico Servizi per la Cultura: an alliance that defines its unique identity, where scientific outreach is not just an accompaniment but the very lens through which the entire festival is viewed. Wine is explored through the soil, climate, grape genetics, and the latest agronomic research.

The geography of Lazio wines

The central theme of the most recent edition was the concept of wine geography: tasting stands are organized by region of origin, allowing visitors to journey from the volcanic whites of the Colli Albani to the reds of Ciociaria, and from the labels of Tuscia in Viterbo to those of the Pontine coast, capturing the differences in soil and style. This journey reveals a Lazio region that is far more diverse than the general public imagines.

The heart of the experience remains the tasting trail: over five hundred labels offered by around eighty stands, with more than a hundred participating wineries from every province in Lazio. Upon entry, guests receive a wine glass and a carrying pouch, allowing them to freely choose what to sample from the producers present.

Masterclasses, guided tours, and sensory paths

Alongside the tasting stands, there is a packed schedule of masterclasses with limited seating, scientifically coordinated by Jacopo Manni and led by oenologists, journalists, and sommeliers. Topics range from the zoning of volcanic soils to native grape varieties like Bellone, Malvasia Puntinata, and Cesanese, as well as rare varieties and ungrafted vines: short, seated seminars featuring guided tastings of multiple samples.

• Tasting stands organized by geographical origin
• Thematic masterclasses on Lazio's native grape varieties
• Guided tours of the Museo Tuscolano and its archaeological collections
• Echi di Vite, a multimedia sensory path dedicated to Lazio's wine-growing lands
• Vinalia OFF, evening events held in venues across the city

The Vinalia OFF concept is designed to extend the experience beyond the festival hours: dinners, pairings, and themed evenings enliven the wine bars and restaurants of Frascati in the days leading up to and during the weekend.

Frascati: landscape and tradition

It is no coincidence that all this happens here. Frascati is one of the historic names in Italian oenology: its white wine, produced on the volcanic soils of the Vulcano Laziale, has been famous for centuries far beyond the regional borders. It has long accompanied the prestige of the Tusculan villas and the fraschette—the popular taverns where wine is still served by the carafe, accompanied by porchetta and local cured meats. Visiting Vinalia Priora also means taking in this landscape of patrician villas, panoramic terraces overlooking the Roman countryside, and historic cellars.

The event has a distinctly regional focus and has grown over the years in terms of both the number of wineries and the public, becoming a meeting point for producers, institutions, and the research community. For those arriving from Rome, it is a perfect half-day trip: just thirty minutes by train takes you from the city to the historic center of Frascati, where everything takes place just a short walk from the station.