# Zi'Tore (2024)

- **Producer:** Palazzo Tronconi
- **Colour:** red
- **Type:** still
- **Grapes:** Lecinaro
- **Region:** Lazio, Italy
- **Style:** Natural
- **Alcohol:** 13.0%
- **Average price:** €27
- **Vegan:** Yes
- **Contains sulphites:** Yes
- **When to drink:** Now or Later
- **Serving temperature:** 16–18 °C
- **Aromas & flavours:** cherry, plum, rose, violet, black pepper, chocolate, prune, forest floor, tobacco, cinnamon

## About this wine

Zi'Tore is produced by Palazzo Tronconi, an estate located in Arce within Lazio's historic Ciociaria region. Founded by former mechanical engineer Marco Marrocco, the winery focuses on restoring ancient, near-extinct indigenous grape varieties through certified organic and biodynamic viticulture. Dedicated to Marrocco's grandfather Salvatore, Zi'Tore represents a pioneering effort to preserve local viticultural heritage through single-varietal expressions of native grapes.

## Interesting facts

- The wine name 'Zi'tore' translates in local Ciociarian dialect to 'Uncle Salvatore', honoring the founder's grandfather.
- Lecinaro is an ancient indigenous grape variety that was only officially registered in Italy in 2010.
- Palazzo Tronconi was among the first estates in Italy to bottle a 100% single-varietal Lecinaro under biodynamic certification.

## Food pairing

The wine's fresh acidity, medium-plus body, and soft tannins cleanly cut through rich animal fats and savory proteins, while its aromatic spice notes harmonize beautifully with aged cheeses and slow-cooked meat ragùs.

## Wine making process

Grapes are hand-harvested from high-trained Guyot vines grown on hillside calcareous clay soils. Fermentation occurs spontaneously with indigenous wild yeasts in concrete tanks, accompanied by a 14 to 20-day maceration on the grape skins. The wine undergoes 15 months of maturation in concrete tanks before bottling. It is produced without artificial temperature stabilization, fining, or filtration, maintaining minimal added sulfites.