Circeo is a DOC of the Lazio wine region in central western Italy, covering red, white and rose wines from vineyards on the Agro Pontino (Pontine Plain) between Latina and Terracina. It is named after the Circeo Peninsula, 50 miles (80km) south-east of the Italian capital Rome.
The portfolio of Circeo wines is founded on white Circeo Bianco and red Circeo Rosso, both of which come in secco (dry) and amabile (medium sweet) forms, as well as frizzante (semi-sparkling). The reds, which are made predominantly from Merlot, also have the option of an early-drinking, early-release novello (new) style, akin to the nouveau wines of Beaujolais. The bianco wines are blended from Malvasia di Candia and Trebbiano.
Alongside the standard blended red and white wines are varietal Trebbiano and Sangiovese wines (the latter produced in both red and rose forms), similar in style to those produced in Aprilia, just up the coast.
The Agro Pontino, which covers most of the cape here, is a large area of former marshland covering almost 200,000 acres (80,000ha). Once the Pontine Marshes, it was drained by the Mussolini government in the 1920s, and developed into farmable land throughout the 1930s. Houses, cereal crops, livestock and tools were brought in by the government as part of the Bonfica Integrale, a project to eradicate malaria from the littoral zones (where a body of water is close to the shore) which lie south-east of the Italian capital Rome. A similar story unfolded at the same time around Sardinia's Arborea, just south of Oristano. Even Bordeaux's famous Medoc is founded on drained marshland.
The Agro Pontino was the site of a significant WWII event, when the Allied Forces landed at Anzio to begin the recovery of central Italy. To hinder these efforts, German soldiers deliberately flooded the area with salt water (to encourage malaria-carrying mosquitos to breed), destroying arable crops and vineyards for miles around. The land was not dried out properly until 1947, and the last signs of malaria were not eradicated until the 1950s, when DDT was widely employed. Today, the Agro Pontino is a fertile agricultural zone once again, and produces not only Circeo wines but also those sold under the neighboring Aprilia DOC.
Given the history of the land, ongoing work is required to maintain the drainage and prevent the return of salt water. This means that, for now, the vineyards are as well drained as their counterparts on the volcanic soils further north in Lazio. The soil composition is clearly different, however, being less rich in minerals such as potassium and basalt. It is, however, very fertile, which means Circeo vines must be carefully managed to keep yields low and quality high. Focused canopy management and vigorous pruning are a standard part of viticulture here.
In terms of climate, Circeo enjoys similar conditions to the rest of coastal Lazio: mild with moderate rainfall. The effect of Italy's mountainous center is that rain clouds blowing in from the Tyrrhenian Sea are forced to drop moisture over eastern Lazio. This is reinforced by the limestone-based Monti Lepini range just north-east of Latina, which make the Agro Pontino's maritime climate a little drier than might be expected.
