Wine region: Italy, Marche

The Marche (plural, originally from le marche de Ancona, referring to the March of Ancona) are one of the twenty distinct regions of Italy.

They are located in the central area of the country, bordering Emilia-Romagna and the republic of San Marino to the north, Tuscany to the north-west, Umbria to the west, Abruzzo and Lazio to the south and the Adriatic Sea to the east.

The wines vary in style from the potentially superb Verdicchios with their marked acidity to the meaty, powerful blends of Sangiovese and Montepulciano.

The vines of the extremely ancient Verdicchio variety, which originated in the region but is now grown as well in Friuli, the Veneto, Tuscany and Campania, cover the hills that flank the river Esino. It is believed that the cultivation of vines in the Marches began in that same area. At the centre of that historic grape-growing district, known as the Castelli di Jesi, stands the community that has given its name to the wine, the ancient Aesis, a Roman colony although probably of Umbrian origin. The history of that town, Jesi, is intertwined with that of its Castelli, of which there remain only the ruins: Castelbellino, Castelplanio, Maiolati, Monte Roberto and Cupramontana. The latter was a town that grew up around a temple built in honour of the goddess Cupra and restored in 217 by the Roman Emperor Hadrian. At the temple, propitiatory rites were performed in which wine, the probable ancestor of Verdicchio, was drunk in honour of Cupra, goddess of wealth and opulence.

The reputation of Verdicchio spread from the Roman lands to the barbarians beyond the Alps, who invaded and brought down the empire in the West. When in 410, Alaric, king of the Visigoths, was passing through the Marche on his way to besiege and sack Rome, he reportedly ordered that 40 mules be loaded with barrels of Verdicchio to take along with him because he held that the wine was excellent for maintaining and stimulating the strength of his soldiers.

Verdicchio has been cited in poetry innumerable times over the centuries. Among those who have mentioned the wine was the noted Tuscan poet of the 16th century Pietro Aretino. Despite his reputation as a denigrator of everything and everyone, he had nothing but warm words of praise for the wine’s dietetic and gustatory virtues.
Verdicchio’s name is derived from “verde,” meaning green, referring to the yellowish-green skin of the grape, which gives the wine a subtle, greenish hue. It produces crisp, dry wines of naturally high acidity and often with hints of citrus fruits and almonds.

Colle Stefano is situated in a hilly belt in the hinterland of the Marche, 420 m above sea-level, in the Verdicchio di Matelica DOC zone. This narrow tableland which stretches from the south to the north is watered by the Esino river and bounded on the east and west by the mountain range of the Appennini Umbro-Marchigiani (1479 m above sea-level). Unaffected by the mitigating influence of the Adriatic Sea, the region is notable for its cool, dry microclimate with high temperature differentials which is ideal for the propagation of Verdicchio di Matelica, an indigenous species of vine that has grown here for many centuries and here ripens late to be harvested from the second half of October onwards. Fabio Marchionni took over the family vineyards from his father a few years ago, having just graduated from the new oenology school in Ancona and done his apprenticeship in Germany. He keeps yields extremely low, less than forty hectolitres per hectare, and makes wine with painstaking care.

The Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi can be labelled with the geographical qualification Classico when it is produced in the oldest sector of the zone indicated in the DOC discipline.

The recent Esino DOC, which coincides with parts of the two Verdicchio zones, provides for red and white wines, usually fresh and fruity. The region’s other white wines, notably Bianchello del Metauro and Falerio dei Colli Ascolani, are usually light and zesty and also go nicely with seafood.
The red wines of the Marche are based chiefly on Sangiovese and Montepulciano, sometimes blended, sometimes not. The most important in terms of volume is Rosso Piceno, dominated by Sangiovese. It comes from a DOC zone covering much of the eastern flank of the region, stretching from the superiore area between Ascoli Piceno and the sea, north through the coastal hills to Senigallia.
Rosso Conero, dominated by Montepulciano, has gained even more praise, thanks to the devotion to quality shown by its leading producers. It originates in a zone on the slopes of the Conero massif south of Ancona. Both Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno were habitually made to drink within two to four years, when they are persuasively round and fresh in flavour, though certain producers have made wines that age remarkably well from good vintages, sometimes for a decade or more.
The northern part of the region is the DOC zone of Colli Pesaresi, where the prominent wine is a Sangiovese, which bears a strong family resemblance to the wines of that variety of neighbouring Romagna. Although the emphasis remains strongly on native vines, recent results with such outside varieties as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and Sauvignon have shown eminent promise in the temperate hills of the Marche.
Pasta triumphs in the Marche, with preference given to homemade versions. Housewives prepare mountains of wide tagliatelle, and maccheroni destined to be filled with exquisite flavours. Consider the maccheroni di Campofilone, a thin tagliatelle dressed with a ragù of pork, veal and fresh tomatoes. Recipes are handed down the generations. Even today in the country the would-be daughter-in-law must pass muster with her future mother-in-law: she must know how to lay out a perfectly round layer of pasta that is of uniform thinness, and to cut it in a variety of shapes. One of the region’s signature dishes, Vincisgrassi, is a special recipe that reflects the Marchigiani attitude to life.  Handmade with care, this festive dish is a type of lasagne that is layered with truffles or veal sweetbreads, chicken livers and mushrooms dusted with grated cheese and covered with béchamel sauce.  Legend has it that a chef made the dish centuries ago for an Austrian prince who fought in the war against Napoleon in 1799.

Pesaro, on the Adriatic coast, is famous for its “brodetto” or fish soup. Like Chateauneuf-du-Pape brodetto may contain up to thirteen different kinds of fish (yes, I know, with ChNeuf it is grape varieties not fish!). It is often flavoured with wine vinegar and sometimes a sprinkle of saffron. Also prepared along the coast, the “brodetto marchigiano” made with fish dipped in flour, fried in a mixture of oil, onion and parsley, and flavoured with saffron. Breathtakingly fresh local seafood might feature a cast of calamari, lobster, cockles, sea dates and spider crabs – that chilled Verdicchio sounds just the ticket.

Further inland other ingredients come to the fore. One specialty is the “pecorino di San Leo”, a cheese made from sheep’s milk, “ricotta” (a kind of cottage cheese) from Urbino, “bazzott” (a local fresh cheese) from Fano, and the “olive ascolane”, big white olives filled with a mixture of cheese, egg, nutmeg, white minced meat chopped and mixed with prosciutto, mortadella and salame, lemon peel and parsley, then dipped in beaten egg and bread crumbs and fried in oil - the ultimate antipasto, the tardis of olives. Made according to a tradition that can be traced back to as early as the 16th century in the province of Pesaro-Urbino, Casciotta di Urbino has a pale yellow paste that is lightly perforated by characteristic little holes.  Made primarily from ewe’s and cow’s milk, Casciotta should be eaten after a maturation process that lasts from 20 to 30 days.  Mild and only slightly acidic, it is enjoyed simply with a slice of ciauscolo, grilled polenta, or with sweet accompaniments such as jams and pears.

The Marchigiani cherish every inch of the pig.  Ciauscolo, a type of spreadable pork, is traditional in this part of Italy.  This specialty is made form the belly and shoulder of the pig and flavoured with salt, pepper, fennel, garlic, and orange rind.  Other pork specialties include Carpegna Prosciutto, Soppressata da Fabriano, and Fegatino, a liver sausage.

Nor are vegetables neglected. Courgettes are sautéed with pancetta, onion and garlic and then stewed with tomatoes. Cauliflowers are coated with a light egg batter to which some cooks add mistra (a local liqueur made of aniseed) and fried. During a spring festival beautiful broad beans are picked and served with caciotte cheese, and in May at the Marchigiano Artichoke Festival in Montelupone the famous Marchigiano artichokes and Monteluponese artichokes are served at stalls and at dinners held in the town square.