# Zi'Tore (2024)

- **Producer:** Palazzo Tronconi
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Lecinaro
- **Region:** Lazio, Italy
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.5%
- **Average price:** €27
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, chocolate, prune, tobacco, forest floor, cinnamon

## About this wine

Zi'Tore is produced by Palazzo Tronconi, a biodynamic estate in Arce, within Lazio's historic Ciociaria region. Founder Marco Marrocco left a career as a mechanical engineer in Rome to return to his ancestral homeland, leading the rescue and preservation of ancient native grape varieties of southern Lazio. The wine is named as an affectionate tribute to Marco's grandfather Salvatore (known as Zi'tore in local dialect) and is dedicated to him and his donkey Tresinella.

## Interesting facts

- Named Zi'Tore in honor of founder Marco Marrocco's grandfather Salvatore and his trusty donkey Tresinella.
- Lecinaro is an ancient red grape native to Lazio that was nearly extinct until officially registered in 2010.
- Founder Marco Marrocco left an engineering career in Rome to spearhead the revival of lost Ciociaria grapes.

## Food pairing

The lively acidity and refined, fine-grained tannins of Lecinaro balance fatty cuts of meat and savory sauces without overpowering delicate herbal seasonings. Rich, gamey proteins and aged hard cheeses echo the wine's inherent earthiness and savory profile.

## Wine making process

Crafted under strict biodynamic principles, the grapes are hand-harvested from hillside vineyards planted on calcareous clay soils. Vinification takes place naturally in concrete tanks using exclusively indigenous yeasts and native lactic acid bacteria. The wine undergoes a 20-day skin maceration, followed by 10 months of aging in neutral concrete vessels without clarification, filtration, or chemical manipulation.