Wine in Le Marche Explained : Wine Producers Le Marche, Italy.La Vita Le Marche : Comprehensive Guide.

Whites
Verdicchio di Jesi
One of the great Italian grape varieties ranging from
light, bright 2007s to golden rich Riservas. For best
quality look for Classico classification.
Recommended- Bucci, Umani Ronchi, Fazi Battaglia.

Verdicchio di Matelica
A richer cousin of Jesi with greater depth. Another
perfect accompaniment to fish dishes. Oak aged
Riservas are truly great.
Recommended- Bisci, La Monesca, Belasario.

Falerio: Trebbiano & Malvasia
Straightforward, crisp and light; very refreshing and
gluggable. Drink young.
Recommended- de Angelis, Colmaro, Cocci Griffoni

Pecorino:
A surprisingly strong but clean wine with good depth a
year or so after bottling. Unique to Le Marche. Don't
worry, it has nothing to do with the cheeses of the same
name.
Recommended: Ciu Ciu

Wine Tours

   A wonderful way to explore the area's beautiful landscape, villages & towns and to enjoy the rich variety of local produce is to go
on a Wine Tour. These can be arranged by professional agencies (see below) or you can do it yourself with some friends (one being
the designated driver!) It's a fun opportunity to sample the area's wide spectrum of wine varieties and styles. It's a chance to talk to
producers themselves; get farm-gate discounts and discover some treasures rarely seen outside the cantina itself.

   The most economic way of purchasing wine is by buying 'Vino Sfuso' literally 'Loose Wine' which is sold straight from the vat often
using a device which looks alarmingly like a petrol pump. This wine is sold by the 5Litre demi-john and starts at about E1 per Litre. If
you don't have a demi-john, they can normally sell you a vessel for about E2. It is always best to try before you buy as some are
excellent and others are excrescence. You will be surprised by the quality of some of these humble wines. the best way to keep them
fresh is to decant them into re-sealable 1l or 75cl bottles when you get home.

    The winemakers are always keen for you to try their bottled wines, too. As well as the local DOC wines such as Rosso Conero,
Rosso Piceno, Verdicchio di Jesi, Falerio etc, a lot more growers are producing interesting blends of local varieties with 'foreign'
grapes such as Cabernet, Merlot and Chardonnay. The producers are justly proud of these as they are intelligent blend of styles as
they tend to be delicious exciting fusions rather than unnatural frankensteins. These wines often bear the humble IGT label not a
reflection of their quality but rather that they fall between stuffy bureaucratic criteria.

    If you're a good customer or the vinaio is feeling especially generous, a bottle of the really top stuff might be cracked open to try.
These outstanding wines start at around E20 a bottle and have recently been sweeping the boards at the annual Italian Wine Awards
of Gambero Rosso. Stefano Dezi of Servigliano was crowned Wine Maker of the Year 2008. That's a really big deal and reason
enough to hot-foot it to his cantina and gallery between Servigliano and Curetta.

    For Italians wine and food go together. This is one reason why Italian wine does not appear to excel at international tasting
competitions because the wines are not produced for competition environments but rather as the perfect compliment to local food. It
is hardly surprising that the restaurants and agriturismi at the cantine serve fantastic food- both modern and traditional. It's a great
way to enjoy local produce in situ.
It is always a good idea to book in advance because you never know when a coachload of vinophiles may have already booked the
place out. This does happen.

    The cantine now are a long way from the image of merry peasants stamping on grapes. However, a tour of a winery is fascinating,
rewarding and educational. The producers are keen to show off their ancient inherited skills as well as their newly acquired
technological expertise from vine training to barrique ageing.
Two pieces of Advice:
1) During the Vintage period (Mid Sept- Oct) don't expect the winemaker to have too much time to show you around. As Father
Christmas says of the Yuletide,'It's my busy time.'
2) No matter how good a customer you are, don't be tempted to ring the cantina bell in the middle of the night because you have
suddenly, inexplicably run out of wine. You will receive short shrift.