Tre Bicchieri 2026: the 11 best wines from Lazio awarded by Gambero Rosso

Oct 6 2025, 16:23 | by Gambero Rosso

It’s a more exciting landscape than usual that the region presents this year — one of Italy’s historic “Cinderellas” when it comes to wine. Worth noting is the impressive success of two particular grape varieties, alongside some interesting new entries. Here’s the full picture

After years of somewhat disordered growth — with scattered peaks of excellence here and there — Lazio is finally beginning to reveal its key districts and signature varieties.

The year of Malvasia del Lazio and Cesanese

Two grape varieties achieved a real breakthrough this year, earning five Tre Bicchieri awards out of a total of eleven, one more than in the previous edition.

The first is Malvasia del Lazio, also known as Malvasia Puntinata, with three producers winning the top accolade for the first time thanks to masterful interpretations of this increasingly prominent native white grape. In Frascati, Gabriele Magno — an absolute newcomer — earned recognition with his Frascati Superiore Riserva La Torretta di Valle Marciana 2023, alongside the historic Villa Simone with its Frascati Superiore Riserva Vigneto Falconieri 2020, a new flagship wine that underwent an extended maturation before release.

Heading towards the coast, another standout is Lavente 2023 by Emiliano Fini, marking the best achievement to date for a winemaker who has long been under the spotlight.

The other protagonist is Cesanese, a red grape variety that continues to gain importance even beyond its historical growing areas — though the top wines still come from its traditional heartlands. Despite the challenges of the 2023 vintage, heavily affected by downy mildew and resulting in a slight reduction in the number of wines tasted, two outstanding labels from earlier vintages stood out: Olevano Romano Cesanese Riserva 2021 by Damiano Ciolli, and Cesanese del Piglio Torre del Piano Riserva 2022 by Casale della Ioria.

The other Tre Bicchieri from Lazio: native and international grapes

The remaining six Tre Bicchieri reflect the great diversity of the Lazio wine scene, ranging from Tuscia, with its Grechetto, to Montepulciano, which cannot be mentioned on the label but is becoming increasingly significant within the Roma DOC. Nor should we overlook the international varieties, which in this region have become just as established as the native ones and are capable of expressing a distinctive personality far removed from stereotypes.

But perhaps even more important than the award-winning wines themselves is the large number of producers debuting in the guide — as many as 18, almost all founded within the last twenty years. This figure paints a picture of a region in transformation and offers plenty of optimism for future editions.