Castel de Paolis sits in Grottaferrata, a hill town in the Castelli Romani just south of Rome, on the volcanic slopes that have shaped Roman wines for centuries. The Santarelli family began replanting these soils in 1974 and launched the wine project in 1985, working with Professor Attilio Scienza of the University of Milan to test which grapes the terroir really wanted. The estate is best known for elevating Frascati Superiore DOCG and for I Quattro Mori, a Syrah-led Lazio IGT red that helped redraw the picture of what wines from Rome's volcanic hills can taste like.
Lazio
Bookable experiences, curated by our editors. External booking where marked.
Guided walk through the vineyards and the cellar, including the Roman-age water cisterns now used to age the barriques. Tasting of two Campo Vecchio Lazio IGT wines, one white and one red, served with taralli from the wood-fired oven. Reservations required, free cancellation up to 48 hours before the visit.
Book this experienceVineyard and cellar tour with the estate story, then a tasting of Frascati Superiore DOCG and Campo Vecchio Lazio IGT Rosso paired with bread from the wood-fired oven, local cured meats and cheeses, and a wood-fired-oven dessert. Reservations required, free cancellation up to 48 hours before the visit.
Book this experienceFull guided tour of the vineyards and cellar followed by a tasting of three signature wines: Donna Adriana Lazio IGT, Campo Vecchio Lazio IGT and the dessert Rosathea. Served with bread from the wood-fired oven, local cured meats and cheeses, Genzano porchetta and a wood-fired-oven dessert. Reservations required, free cancellation up to 48 hours before the visit.
Book this experienceGuided walk through the vineyards and the cellar, including the Roman-age water cisterns now used to age the barriques. Tasting of two Campo Vecchio Lazio IGT wines, one white and one red, served with taralli from the wood-fired oven. Reservations required, free cancellation up to 48 hours before the visit.
Book this experienceThe estate began in 1974, when Giulio Santarelli (then Italy's Agriculture Undersecretary of State) bought the first five acres of vineyard above Grottaferrata. Until 1985 the grapes were sold to local cooperatives that turned them into Frascati Superiore DOC. The story changed that year, when Santarelli partnered with Professor Attilio Scienza of the University of Milan to research which grape varieties suited the volcanic, potassium-rich, tufa-laced soils of the Castelli Romani. The eight-year project that followed re-shaped the estate.
Between 1985 and 1993, the team trialled native Lazio varieties such as Malvasia del Lazio, Bellone, Bonvino, Cesanese, Grechetto, Bombino and Moscato Rosa alongside international grapes including Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Viognier and Roussanne. Castel de Paolis was the first estate in the area to apply the green harvest to its red grapes, dropping roughly a quarter of the bunches two months before picking so the rest could ripen at no more than 1.5 kg per vine. The 25-acre estate was replanted at row-vineyard density between 1988 and 1993.
In 1992 a new winery was built into the hill. During the works, Roman-age water cisterns turned up under the cellar floor, and they are still used today as a humid, naturally cool ageing space for the barriques. The first commercial vintages followed in 1993, with eight wines covering whites, reds and dessert: Frascati Superiore (now Frascati Superiore DOCG), Donna Adriana, Campo Vecchio Bianco and Rosso, I Quattro Mori, Muffa Nobile, Rosathea and Frascati Cannellino. All eight are still in the range.
A roughly two-million-euro renovation in 2005 enlarged the vinification cellar with refrigerated steel tanks and added two dining rooms and a professional kitchen for on-site lunches and private events, plus a swimming pool area in the upper part of the estate that looks out across the vineyards toward Rome. The combination of low yields, modern winemaking and visitor space has turned the estate into one of central Italy's better-known wine-tourism stops as well as a serious cellar.
Castel de Paolis is still owned and run by the Santarelli family. Founder Giulio is now joined by his son Fabrizio, who handles distribution at home and in markets including the United States, Brazil, China, Japan and several European countries. Guided tastings of the vineyards and cellar are bookable through the partner Wineries Experience, and the kitchen will plate up Lazio classics such as Genzano porchetta, local cheese and bread from the wood-fired oven alongside the wines.
Editorially verified by ItalianWines.co.uk.
Plate I · LAZIO
Est. 1985 
5 wines 
Tastings
Tours
Accommodation
Booking required 
