REGION

MARCHE
Ancient Romans loved the wine from Picenum – what is now the Marche – and there are artifacts such as amphorae dating the region’s wine production back to the Iron Age. The regional capital, Ancona, was a major port town during Roman Empire, and one of the so-called “seven roads to Rome”, the Via Flaminia, connected the two cities. In the centuries since, the Marche has receded from the limelight, home to quiet, towering cliffs, stunning coastlines, sandy Adriatic beaches, and a peaceful, hilly landscape dotted with medieval towns, castles and monasteries. Wholly deserving of our attention, this region remains off the beaten track, one of Italy’s last “untouched” wine destinations.

Sandwiched between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea, the Marche is home a vast array of terroirs. The western region, which boarders the mountain range, tends to have calcareous and limestone soils, along with greater day-night temperature fluctuations during the growing season. To the east, vineyards stretch right up to the chalky coastline – including the famed rosso district that lies in the shadow of Mount Cònero. These areas tend host a continental and Mediterranean climate, respectively.

Overall, the area devoted to vineyards in the Marche remains modest compared to other Italian regions. Today there are 20,000 hectares of vineyards, spanning 4 provinces (Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Macerata, and Pesaro), home to 15 DOCs and 5 DOCGs. The lion’s share of the Marche’s wines are white, with the crisp and refreshing Verdicchio occupying center stage. Reds tend to be based upon Sangiovese and Montepulciano, the indigenous black grape varietal that thrives in the dry, maritime climate and limestone-rich soils of the coast.