Omina Romana Winery

Viticulture in the Lazio region has been documented for around 2,500 years. The Omina Romana winery was founded in 2007 by Anton and Katharina Börner. With the clear aim of producing only top-quality wines, the founders chose an area near Velletri, 40 kilometres south-east of Rome, in the middle of the volcanic and green hills of the Castelli Romani.

The vineyards are 200 metres above sea level. During the day, there is always a breeze from the sea, ensuring that the grapes stay nice and dry. At night, a cooling wind from nearby Abruzzo blows through the vines from an altitude of almost 3,000 metres. A daily temperature difference of 16 degrees provides the best conditions for the development of complex and harmonious flavours.

Börner describes his approach to viticulture as "mens et manus", mind and hand. This involves meticulous and painstaking work, from planting to vinification and storage. Special feature: The development of the vineyard is documented and analysed by the University of Florence, the Istituto Tecnico Agrario Garibaldi in Rome and the Istituto di Ricerca sul Campo Agrario in Velletri. For example, each individual vine was planted by hand after assessing its location and the surrounding microclimate.

incidentally, "omina" comes from Latin and means "good omen". Unlike the Börners, their ancient predecessors relied less on science in viticulture and more on the signals of the gods. What overlaps, however, is the deep connection with the natural cycle.

photos: Winery Omina Romana