What other winery can claim Rome's 2,000-year-old Appian Way as its backyard? Riserva della Cascina has farmed the same volcanic soils of the Parco dell'Appia Antica since 1945, turning one of the world's most storied landscapes into a living vineyard that produces honest, deeply local wines.
Backstory
Giovanni and Ida Brannetti planted the first vines in 1945 on the Roman countryside south of the city. Their son Giuseppe, drawn to winemaking from an early age, expanded the operation in 1986 by acquiring a vineyard inside the Appia Antica Park. Organic certification followed in 1994, one of the earliest such certifications in Lazio. The first bottled vintage, the white Marino Superiore, appeared in 1999, followed quickly by Castelli Romani Rosso and the skin-contact white Gallieno. Today the third generation, led by Silvia Brannetti, Giuseppe's eldest daughter and a PhD in Mathematics, guides the estate with a scientist's precision and a farmer's patience.
The Region
The estate sits within the Castelli Romani DOC zone, a ring of volcanic hills that curves south and east of Rome. The area has been a source of wine for the city since antiquity. The Parco dell'Appia Antica is also a UNESCO World Heritage site, meaning Riserva della Cascina operates under strict environmental rules that align naturally with its organic philosophy. The proximity to Rome, roughly 10 km from the historic centre, makes this one of the world's most urbanly situated quality wine estates.
Vineyards and Farming
The estate covers 25 hectares of volcanic basalt soils, the legacy of a lava flow more than 20,000 years old. This mineral-rich substrate gives the wines a distinctive saline freshness. The Brannetti family has never used herbicides, pesticides, or synthetic fertilizers. Organic certification has been maintained continuously since 1994. Harvest is manual, and inter-row grassing promotes biodiversity and reduces erosion on the steep parcels that overlook ancient Roman ruins.
Winemaking
In the cellar, the approach matches the restraint shown in the vineyard. Riserva della Cascina uses up to 40 percent less sulfite than the EU organic wine limit, and all fining and clarifying agents of animal origin are avoided, keeping every wine vegan-friendly. Native yeasts drive fermentation, and wines are bottled unfiltered. The result is a range that reflects terroir rather than technique, with a freshness that belies the warm Roman summers.
The Wines
The portfolio centres on Malvasia Puntinata, the indigenous white grape of the Castelli Romani, and a Cesanese-based red that captures the earthy warmth of Lazio. Gallieno, their flagship white, ages on its fine lees for extended complexity. Recent vintages have drawn attention from natural wine buyers in North America and Japan, bringing a small but ancient Roman terroir to an international audience.
