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Drinking With Nobles In The Seven Hills

Is there really no place like Rome? This week Ellen Wernecke chronicles her first visit to the Eternal City.

For high tea with the Queen of England, gloves are a good idea and so are pearls. But I drank wine in sneakers with a title -- or at least, at the historic family farm of one -- and no one called me out on it. Did it improve my tasting? Possibly.

The hills outside of Rome are not as well known for their wine as other regions in Italy -- in fact, you'll probably be told at some point to avoid the fruity white Frascati that is its regional trademark. (I didn't mind it, personally.) The first surprise in store for me at on my visit to the Principe Pallavicini vineyard in Colonna was that they didn't just grow for white wine -- nor were they even wine-specific. Before I'd attempted to guess the "nose" of a single grape-based beverage, I enjoyed the subtle but flavorful house olive oil, which ought to put your bulk bottle of EVOO to shame.

The Pallavicinis can trace their roots back to the 12th century, have been making wine for about 500 years, and it all started on an estate you can visit today. (The family, though, has moved into Rome's city center, a 21st century method of displaying their massive wealth.) On display are wine presses from even earlier, and the wine is still stored in an underground cavern for natural refrigeration as it ages first in barrels and then bottles.

The tasting area and store, about a 3-minute drive away, is the ultimate low-pressure sales environment -- I got the feeling that hours had gone by in which I was just hanging out and drinking wine, and not the tasting portions either. I walked away with a bottle of the Poggio Verde -- a bargain at €5.80.

I organized my tour through Dark Rome, but anyone with a rental car, an Italian land line and a little money could line one up for himself. Don't forget to bring someone to drive you back to the city that night, unless you're planning to crash at the B&Bs that dot the hillside -- next trip!

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