Wines from Marche

Delicate straw yellow colour with a silvery sheen and lively perlage. The nose opens with fresh apricot, white flowers and a hint of lemon zest, accompanied by mild herbal notes and fine yeast spice. On the palate, the Spumante creates a fine interplay of animating freshness and delicate creaminess, carried by lively acidity and youthful fruit. The combination of the autochthonous Verdicchio and Passerina grape varieties lends minerality and balance, while the Charmat method ensures a certain directness and a lovely drinking flow. An aromatic spumante – perfect as a light aperitif or a stylish accompaniment to summer dishes. SUPERIORE.DE

Grandmother Rosa would be proud: the brothers Giuseppe and Pierino Bisci dedicated this pale pink-coloured wine to the matriarch of their family – a loving tribute to the generation that laid the foundations for Bisci's success. While the winery has been world-famous for its legendary Verdicchio wines since 1972, "A Nonna Rosa" shows a rarely seen facet of Marche: elegant rosé vinification from Sangiovese and Merlot from those two hectares that are not planted with the main grape variety. In the hills between Macerata and Ancona, at an altitude of 320 to 370 metres, the red grapes thrive on calcareous clay soils – the former sea basin that also characterises Verdicchio's minerality.

Garofoli has been known for decades for its excellent sparkling wines. Here comes the new Rosé Frizzante made from 100% Montepulciano using the classic pet-nat method (Metodo Ancestrale), which is harvested in the last half of August and whose carbon dioxide is created almost unplanned by the almost complete fermentation of the sugar in the bottle. Bright salmon pink, floral, red berry notes, beautiful freshness, delicate mousseux and a fine yeast note on the final. Unfiltered. SUPERIORE.DE

Ribelle – rebel. At La Monacesca, where Verdicchio traditionally matures for a long time, this wine is a deliberate break with the rules: harvested in its youth, vinified for freshness, released before time takes the corners off it. Only stainless steel, no rush, but also no waiting for a certain patina. The result is crisp, lively, light-hearted – a Verdicchio for the moment. Green apple, citrus, a hint of almond on the finish. Not a wine for the cellar, but for the summer: aperitivo, crudo, seafood. The monks who settled here a thousand years ago probably didn't know such lightness. But they would certainly have liked it. SUPERIORE.DE

Bisci not only produces excellent Verdicchio, but also very appealing Rosso, which is now made from 100% Merlot. With the best value wine in the Marche winery's range, it has achieved a great success: Fascinating aromas of red berries, precious wood and herbs, with a subtle, smoky component in the background. Precise and taut on the palate, with a wonderful primary fruity core, framed by liquorice and a dried bouquet of Mediterranean herbs. A warm red for the unusual days of the week. SUPERIORE.DE

Italy connoisseur and wine critic Ian D'Agata writes about the grape variety in his book "Native Wine Grapes of Italy": "Verdicchio is arguably Italy's greatest indigenous white grape variety. This statement may come as a surprise to those who have only tasted neutral or watery Verdicchio wines, sometimes even bottled in incredible amphora-shaped bottles."

In Palaeolithic times, the Matelica valley was a salt lake. Today, enclosed between Apennine peaks and cut off from the Adriatic, a Verdicchio grows here that carries this mineral history in every fibre. La Monacesca, founded in 1966 by Casimiro Cifola and now run by his son Aldo, has made this origin its programme. Seventeen hectares on clayey soils, four hundred metres high, facing north-south. The grapes are harvested by hand, gently pressed, fermented in stainless steel and matured for a long time on the fine lees – only then does the wine go into the bottle. No wood, no distractions, just time.

The single vineyard Monteprandone is the centrepiece of the winery – a south-west facing, organically cultivated plot on calcareous clay soil, which produces the most structured grapes on the estate year after year. Montepulciano and Sangiovese are selected here with great care and matured classically in large wooden barrels and barriques. The result is a Rosso Piceno Superiore with depth, nobility and a clear signature of origin.

Brilliant and intense straw yellow colour with bright reflections. Fine citrus fruit, white-fleshed fruit and wild flowers on the nose, followed by a hint of herbs, then slightly spicy and very elegant. Elegance, longevity and freshness on the palate with a return of the bouquet flavours and a great spiciness, ending with the minerality characteristic of the Pecorino grape variety, simply delicious! SUPERIORE.DE

The name says it all: the vineyard is located on an elongated, plateau-like ridge in the historic Classico region of the Castelli di Jesi – a ridge reminiscent of a podium. It is therefore no coincidence that Garofoli harvests its best Verdicchio cuvée right here. 100% Verdicchio from the vineyard that the estate has cultivated as its flagship for decades – and with which Carlo Garofoli was one of the first to prove that Verdicchio can and should age. The vinification remains true to the wine: steel, precision, long ageing on the lees, which gives the podium the fullness and texture that clearly distinguishes it from the fresh entry-level wine. No wood, no distractions – just Verdicchio in its most concentrated form.

In the hills between Macerata and Ancona, Bisci's red wines are made from the modest 1.5 hectares of Sangiovese and Merlot that have complemented the portfolio of the legendary Verdicchio specialists since the very beginning. The Villa Castiglioni 2019 combines 80% Sangiovese with 20% Merlot in a sophisticated cuvée that expresses the warm terroir of the Marche region. After manual harvesting, the wine is macerated for 15 days in stainless steel tanks at a controlled temperature with daily pumping over, followed by twelve months of ageing partly in oak barrels and partly in steel.

An expression of old vineyard depth and finesse: Vecchie Vigne comes from vines over 40 years old on clayey soils at altitudes of 250-300 metres above sea level. The result is a white wine that makes balance, structure and terroir tangible. Pale straw yellow in colour with crystalline purity. The bouquet is intense but nuanced, with aromas of almond blossom, white flowers, meadow herbs, lemon and peach, supported by lively minerality and a delicate hint of aniseed. On the palate, the wine impresses with elegant acidity, animating and firm at the same time. The mineral tension ends in a long, salty-fresh final – with structure, depth and plenty of substance. Vecchie Vigne is more than just a pleasure to drink: it is a kind of reference for the ageing potential of Verdicchio. A white wine that carries origin, history and personality in every sip. SUPERIORE.DE

This rare Riserva comes from the historic vineyards of the Garofoli family in Montecarotto – a selection of the purest Verdicchio grapes from the classic hills of the Castelli di Jesi. The family has been cultivating the noble Verdicchio grape on these medium loamy soils with sandy and calcareous inclusions for five generations. The lowest yields per hectare and the latest possible hand-picking guarantee the highest concentration for this top wine.

The name comes from the Middle Ages: the "grosso agontano" was one of the most important silver coins in Italy, minted by the Maritime Republic of Ancona in the 13th century. A coin for trade routes, for trust, for value. Garofoli did not choose this name by chance – it sets the standard for their most important red wine. It only appears in the best years. Then, when the harvest in the Piancarda vineyard – within the Monte Conero nature reserve, on calcareous clay soil – the quality that justifies the DOCG classification. 100% Montepulciano, hand-picked, 10 to 15 days of maceration for maximum depth of colour and tannin structure, followed by malolactic fermentation. Maturation: 18 months in barriques, then more than 12 months in the bottle.

A wine with history, personality and depth of character: Centovie is the centrepiece of a long-term project at the organically farmed Tenuta Centovie near Roseto degli Abruzzi. The 35 hectares of vineyards on the southern slope near Montipagano, with a view of the Gran Sasso, produce elegant Montepulciano, among other things – equipped with traditional training systems (pergola in long tendone and short cordon training) and an optimal microclimate.

The name Plenio (derived from the Latin plenus) stands for fullness and expression, and this is precisely what characterises every facet of this Riserva. The grapes come from higher-lying plots near Cupramontana, in the historic centre of the appellation. Calcareous clay soils, cool nights and selective hand-picking create the basis for a Verdicchio with depth and Storage potential. Fermentation is followed by partly reductive, partly oxidative ageing in stainless steel and large wood, followed by extended storage on fine lees and final maturation in the bottle.

Steep cliffs, gentle slopes of calcareous clay soil, the rough blue of the Adriatic Sea just above the vines ... welcome to the Conero, one of the most renowned terroirs in the Marche region! From the heart of this landscape comes Cùmaro, a passionately cultivated, richly structured Montepulciano that Umani Ronchi has been vinifying as a Riserva since the mid-1980s. In the glass, it presents a dark ruby colour with a purple hue. The bouquet is intense and multi-layered: ripe plum, blackcurrant and cassis intertwine with notes of black pepper, vanilla and fine tobacco – all in a powerful, spicy frame. The palate is characterised by dense concentration while remaining warm and enveloping. Smooth, integrated tannins carry the broodingfruit flavour, which glides into a long, elegant finish – with hints of chocolate and spicy dryness.