The Marche is the only Italian region whose name is plural. This inherently conveys, or should inherently convey a profoundly positive aspect. The multiplicity of ideas, reasoning, and cultures has always led to advantageous outcomes in every field, in contrast to the singular, synonymous with uniform thinking that often results in cultural and social impoverishment.
When describing the Marche’s uniqueness from a geographical standpoint, we are reminded of the words of writer Guido Piovene. In his work ‘Viaggio in Italia,’ a reportage on Italy in the aftermath of World War II commissioned by RAI and conducted between May 1953 and October 1956, he remarked:
“The Marche are a plural. The northern part has a Romagna-like character; the Tuscan and Umbrian influences are evident along the Apennine spine; the province of Ascoli Piceno is a gateway to Abruzzo and Sabina. However, despite absorbing these influences, the Marche do not resemble Tuscany, Romagna, Abruzzo, or Umbria.”
It is therefore an atypical land where short journeys traverse from the peaks of the Sibillini Mountains, where Monte Vettore rises to almost 2,500 meters, to the charming seaside resorts such as the Bay of Portonovo, Sirolo, and Numana in the province of Ancona.
The Marche vineyard stretches across this vast expanse where thought is submerged (quote), offering unique wines renowned worldwide, largely due to Verdicchio. (+33% in the last 5 years, with an export value nearing 76 million euros).
The Marchigiano Institute for Wine Protection (IMT), noting the tourist boom along the coasts, cities, and villages of the Marche region, has recognized the need to enhance the domestic market, which remains strategically important for these reasons. To this end, IMT organized a three-day event attended by 70 national journalists specializing in the field, spread across 9 wine itineraries covering all Consortium denominations. This Consortium alone represents approximately 70% of exports and just under half of the entire regional vineyard.
The Magnificent 16 – Wines of the Marche
The widespread event over the first two days concluded at Villa Koch in Recanati with a final collective tasting of all 16 denominations and a conference that reviewed sector policies, particularly focusing on wine tourism.
Approximately 120 wineries participated, showcasing 300 wines for tasting, representing all the PDOs protected by IMT:
- Bianchello del Metauro
- Colli Maceratesi
- Colli Pesaresi
- Esino
- I Terreni di San Severino
- Lacrima di Morro d’Alba
- Pergola, Rosso Conero (DOC and DOCG)
- San Ginesio
- Serrapetrona
- Vernaccia di Serrapetrona
- Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi (DOC and DOCG)
- Verdicchio di Matelica (DOC and DOCG)
The area protected by the Marche Institute for the Protection of Wines spans across vineyards in the provinces of Ancona, Macerata, and Pesaro-Urbino. It covers over 7,500 hectares with a production that nearly reached 230,000 hectoliters bottled in 2022 (89% of the total).
Marche’s vine rows are among the most sustainable in Italy, with organic cultivation covering 39.5% of the vineyard area, equivalent to 6,991 hectares out of a total vineyard area of 18,000 hectares (year 2022/23, source: Marche Region, Department of Agriculture), which is double the Italian average. From 2010 to 2022, total investments made available by the consortium and its member companies, along with EU contributions (Ocm-Vino and Psr Marche Mis. 1.33 and 3.2), exceeded 28 million euros.
Numbers of the Marche Institute for the Protection of Wines (IMT)
- 519 member companies
- 16 appellations
- including 4 DOCG designations
- It represents 89% of bottled production in its reference area
- it covers 45% of the entire regional vineyard area
- over 7,500 hectares spread across the provinces of Ancona, Macerata, and Pesaro-Urbino
Since 1999, IMT has been supporting all producers of Verdicchio and ensuring the authenticity of their productions.
Focus on Colli Maceratesi DOC (Established on 05.07.1975)
- Vineyard Area: 250 hectares
- Yield per hectare: 13 tons
- Grape Varieties for Colli Maceratesi Bianco (including sparkling and passito styles): Maceratino (Ribona) minimum 70%; Incrocio Bruni 54, Pecorino, Tuscan Trebbiano, Verdicchio, Chardonnay, Sauvignon, Malvasia bianca lunga, Grechetto exclusively for the province of Macerata, either individually or combined, up to a maximum of 30%; maximum 15% other authorized varieties.
- Grape Varieties for Colli Maceratesi Ribona (including sparkling and passito styles): Maceratino (Ribona) minimum 85%; maximum 15% other authorized varieties.
- Grape Varieties for Colli Maceratesi Sangiovese: Sangiovese minimum 85%; maximum 15% other authorized varieties.
- Red Varietals of Colli Maceratesi (including Novello and Riserva types): Sangiovese minimum 50%; Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Ciliegiolo, Lacrima, Merlot, Montepulciano, Vernaccia Nera, either jointly or separately, up to a maximum of 50%; maximum 15% other authorized grape varieties.
Colli Maceratsi Doc
Colli Maceratesi DOC is one of the oldest indigenous products of the Marche region. The origins of the vine date back to the period of Magna Graecia – in 387 B.C. – when the Greeks from Syracuse fled from the tyrant Dionysius and settled along the coast of Ancona and in the area of Macerata.
The gem of this appellation, and indeed the entire Marche vineyard, is certainly the Ribona grape, also known as Maceratino (minimum 85% for Colli Maceratesi Ribona, including in the sparkling and passito types, and minimum 70% for Colli Maceratesi white, including in the sparkling and passito types). Traces of this grape appear in some ampelographic bulletins dating back to the 1800s.
Thanks to a fabric mainly composed of small family-run agricultural businesses, it has been possible to focus on quality work”.
Today, Ribona is unquestionably one of Italy’s white wines worth discovering.
Its notable longevity also positions it as a potential standout among Italy’s leading white wine regions, alongside other highly regarded areas such as Collio and Alto Adige. Time allows Colli Maceratesi DOC Ribona to develop increasingly complex and enveloping aromas, achieving an elegant aromatic expressiveness. The recently approved amendment to the production regulations, which includes the introduction of a “Riserva” category (still pending final approval), moves in this direction. Many wineries have been on this path for years: leveraging the grape’s characteristics, several producers have already complemented their vintage wine with a label that requires longer aging times.
Ribona
Producers believe in it, and for this reason, they have recently launched the website https://ribona.it/. The tastings conducted have overall shown excellent quality. If I had to choose the bottles/wineries that impressed me the most, I would highlight: Angera Ribona 2021 and Angera Ribona 2012 (showcasing the high quality that Ribona can achieve over the years) from Il Pollenza, Flosis Ribona 2022 by Andrea Giorgetti, Le Grane Ribona 2021 by Boccadigabbia, Camurena Ribona 2020 by Saputi, Ribona Pordere Sabbioni 2021, Monteferro Ribona 2019 by Fattoria Forano, Pausula Ribona 2014 from Cantina Sant’Isidoro, and two notable Metodo Classico sparkling wines made from Ribona grapes: Jurek brut 2016 by Muròla and Ribona brut by Sant’Isidoro 2019.
Focus on Serrapetrona DOC
Serrapetrona is a municipality inhabited by approximately 900 people, governed by Silvia Pinzi, the determined mayor who, in a challenging local context, successfully prevented the closure of the bank, pharmacy, post office, and facilitated the reopening of the sole gas station. Shifting to wine, the Serrapetrona DOC is also noteworthy. I found it particularly intriguing in its versions that are not overly wood-aged or simply in stainless steel. In this regard the 2021 VerSer Clemè by Matteo Cesari de Maria was especially outstanding.
Vernaccia di Serrapetrona DOCG
And then there’s Vernaccia di Serrapetrona!
It’s the only Italian sparkling red wine with Controlled and Guaranteed Designation of Origin, produced using a unique method involving three fermentations:
- the first during harvest
- the second after natural drying of the grapes
- the third in autoclave for sparkling.
It captivates with its fruity aromas of blackcurrant, sour cherry, and blackberry, accompanied by floral notes of violet and spicy hints of cinnamon.
Vernaccia di Serrapetrona is a precious wine, a gem that only Italy can boast, deserving much more attention than it currently receives from both industry professionals and enthusiasts alike. Perhaps, both in its dry and sweet versions, it could be more boldly paired, not limiting it to regional cuisine or traditional Marche desserts (in the sweet version), but exploring global culinary delights.
It would be a delightful journey, sure to leave one enraptured.
The relationship between Vernaccia and the town of Serrapetrona dates back many years—a connection noted as far back as the Ampelographic Bulletin of 1876 and the General Yearbook for Viticulture and Oenology of 1893.
This small Marche village has also been a destination for travelers for many years who would enjoy a snack with what was then known as “Vernacetta”.
Among the tastings that have impressed me the most are Clemè, as mentioned earlier, as well as Serrerosé, a rosé wine made from black Vernaccia grapes by Matteo Cesari de Maria.
Additionally, I have enjoyed the Serrapetrona 2020 by Alberto Quacquarini, the Torcular Serrapetrona 2018 by Podere sul Lago, and I have truly fallen in love with the Vernaccia di Serrapetrona, a dry sparkling wine from the Alberto Quacquarini winery.
Main feature of Serrapetrona DOC (established on 01.09.2004)
Vineyard area: 60 hectares
Yield per hectare: 10 tons
Grape varieties: Vernaccia Nera minimum 85%; maximum 15% other authorized varieties
Aging: 10 months
Vernaccia di Serrapetrona DOCG (established in 01.09.2004)
Vineyard area: 60 hectares
Yield per hectare: 10 tons
Minimum 85% Vernaccia Nera; maximum 15% other authorized grape varieties
The Terroir of San Severino DOC
The Terreni di San Severino DOC is a wine produced throughout the entire administrative area of the municipality of San Severino Marche, located in the central-southern part of the province of Macerata. This appellation includes four distinct types of wines, each significantly different from the others:
- Red and Red Superiore, characterized by a minimum blend of 50% Vernaccia Nera grapes.
- Passito, always made predominantly from Vernaccia Nera grapes.
- Moro, produced with a minimum blend of 60% Montepulciano grapes.
Within this small inland area of the Marche region, I would like to highlight Fattoria Colmone della Marca winery.
The San Severino DOC (established on 06.09.2004)
Vineyard Area: 15 hectares
Yield: 9 tons per hectare
Grape Varieties:
- Minimum 50% Vernaccia nera
- other non-aromatic black berry varieties may contribute, either jointly or separately, up to 50%.
Aging: 18 months
“Every cultured Marchigiano warns against the temptation to view the Marche region as a uniform entity. The Marche are pluralistic. The north bears a Romagnola hue; Tuscan and Umbrian influences are evident along the Apennine backbone; the province of Ascoli Piceno serves as a gateway to Abruzzo and Sabina. Ancona, a maritime city, stands distinct on its own. More so than Emilia and even Veneto, the Marche region epitomizes a convergence with the Adriatic. This exceptional sea reveals itself here as more intimate, free, and silent, with its unique colors that set it apart from all other seas on Earth. I speak of certain cool greens, translucent grays, blues streaked with red, reminiscent of precious marbles and gemstones. The Marchigian hillside, turning inland, resembles a grand, natural Italian garden. It is neither the Tuscan nor Umbrian hillside. It is gentle, serene, moving, gleaming, devoid of sharp edges. Walking through the fertile valleys on beautiful days, all plants shimmer in unison, as if their leaves were waxed.“
Guido Pavese