Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone DOC is a white wine denomination from an area centred on the town of Montefiascone in Viterbo province in the Lazio region of central Italy. 

The name: The wine takes its name from the story of Fugger, a 12th century German Bishop whose drunken guide, Martin, was to search out a hostel. Martin was told to write the word ‘est!’ on the wall of those establishments serving good wine. When Martin arrived at Montefiascone he drank a (Moscato) wine that so appealed he wrote the name down three times. David Gleave MW (1997, p.32-33.) says ‘whoever allowed the name to find its way into a DOC had obviously drunk as much wine as the drunken guide.’

Terroir: Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone DOC is grown on the shores of Lake Bolsena (Lago di Bolsena), which occupies a crater whose soil was deposited in what is now the near-by Orvieto DOC region. Communes entitled to this DOC include Montefiascone, San Lorenzo Nuovo, Grotte di Castro, Gradioli, Capodimonte and Marta.

Wine style: Est! Est!! Est!!! di Montefiascone DOC is a neutral, still, dry to semi-sweet white wine made from 80% Trebbiano (Procanico) and Malvasia.

Wine producers

Bigi. | Colle Bonvino.

Bibliography

David Gleave MW, ‘When in Rome…,’ Wine Magazine, February 1997, p.32-33.