Longinenko, Lazio, central Italy, and one of those small, independent producers you start spotting once you spend enough time at natural wine fairs. Darya and Pasha Longinenko, a family name that doesn’t sound remotely Roman, and that’s a big part of the charm. Italian wine has a long tradition of outsiders arriving with fresh eyes and a point to prove.
They show up at Vini Selvaggi in Rome, the natural wine fair that’s become a gathering point for the country’s more interesting independent growers, and that tells you plenty. Selvaggi is the kind of event where the lineup is chosen for conviction, not scale. Small estates, hands-on farmers, wines made without polish or pretence.
Lazio itself is one of Italy’s most underrated wine regions. Volcanic soils, Roman history, old local grapes that never made it onto the international map, and a growing generation of producers rediscovering what the land can do. It doesn’t get the press of Tuscany or Piedmont, which means it’s still full of surprises.
Longinenko, Lazio, central Italy, and one of those small, independent producers you start spotting once you spend enough time at natural wine fairs. Darya and Pasha Longinenko, a family name that doesn’t sound remotely Roman, and that’s a big part of the charm. Italian wine has a long tradition of outsiders arriving with fresh eyes and a point to prove.
They show up at Vini Selvaggi in Rome, the natural wine fair that’s become a gathering point for the country’s more interesting independent growers, and that tells you plenty. Selvaggi is the kind of event where the lineup is chosen for conviction, not scale. Small estates, hands-on farmers, wines made without polish or pretence.
Lazio itself is one of Italy’s most underrated wine regions. Volcanic soils, Roman history, old local grapes that never made it onto the international map, and a growing generation of producers rediscovering what the land can do. It doesn’t get the press of Tuscany or Piedmont, which means it’s still full of surprises.
