Good Things From Italy - Le Cose Buone d'Italia

DOC and DOCG Map of Marche

Via Mariano Pallottini

Our friend Fabio has recently inaugurated a winery in Fano called Enoteca dei 50 (both Fabio and her partner Anna are, actually, in their 50s – hence the name – but dont’ say it too loud!).

The winery hosts a great deal of local wines, olive oil variety and a selected few food products... 

Falerio, Trebbiano, Pecorino, Passerina, Rosso Piceno, Bianco Marche: these are only a few of the wines from the Marche region available in the wine shop (both bottled wine and cask wine) together with excellent extra virgin olive oil as the famous ‘Cartoceto extra virgin olive oil’ – also known as the ‘gold from Marche’: the only high quality extra virgin olive oil in the Marche region with a ‘protected designation of origin’, PDO). [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

Movimento Turistico del Vino organizes several events throughout the year. On the last Saturday and Sunday of May (24 -25), "Cantine Aperte" opens the Le Marche cellars to thousand of enthusiasts and wine lovers to discover the wine world and culture directly on-site.

Via Mariano Pallottini

This pasta dish is like so many that we call Italian, with its combination of pasta, aromatics, oil, tomatoes, cheese and vegetation. What wines would an Italian suggest to temper the tomatoes' acidity? To balance the salt from the cheese? Well, an Italian wine, of course, light red or white, with its typical combination of zippy acidity and dolce demeanor.

THE FOOD: Rigatoni and spinach [...]

THE WINES

• 2012 Villa Bucci Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore, Marche, Italy: A herald for the renewal of the verdicchio grape; the vintage is like the first: just peachy, in all sense of the English. $20-$22
• 2011 Angelini Pergola Rosso, Marche, Italy: A highly aromatic indigenous variety, pergola rosso is all rose petal, dried strawberry, baking spice and gorgeous carmine red hue. $16

Via Mariano Pallottini

Son sempre più i personaggi famosi che si approcciano al vino in prima persona, avviando aziende vinicole, piuttosto che favorire l’utilizzo della propria immagine per promuovere un determinato vino.

Fin dall’antichità, filosofi, politici e generali avevano tra le loro proprietà anche vigne, piuttosto che terrazze di ulivi. Questo per due semplici motivi: il primo per produrre una riserva personale da offrire agli ospiti, l’altro per uno scopo finanziario, cioè quello di riutilizzare la ricchezza accumulata nel tempo in un’attività imprenditoriale stimolante.

Le cose oggi non sembrano essere cambiate, anzi, son sempre più i personaggi famosi che si approcciano al vino in prima persona, avviando aziende vinicole, piuttosto che favorire l’utilizzo della propria immagine per promuovere un determinato vino.

Tra i personaggi più noti, vi è sicuramente F.F. Coppola. Il regista italo-americano, oltre  essere egli stesso produttore di vino, proviene da una famiglia con una lunga storia nel settore vinicolo.

Via Paolo Fumagalli

TOLENTINO, Italy—Rising amidst the gorgeous landscape of the Macerata hills, is the gorgeous 16th century building that is the centerpiece of the estate of Il Pollenza winery, producers of exquisite and elegant wines in Italy’s Marche region.

• Cosimo Marche Rosso IGT 2008 $57 
• Di Di Marche IGT, also $17
• Porpora-Marche Rosso IGT 2012 $17

A brief note on the Marche. This is one of the great undiscovered (to those of us here in the US) wine producing regions of Italy. It is ideally situated between the mountains on the west and the Adriatic Sea to the east, which accounts for its exceptional growing conditions for all types of grapes, from the indigenous (and ubiquitous) Trebbiano and Verdicchio grapes to many international varietals. Besides producing spectacular, fruit forward still wines, the region is also becoming known for its delightful sparkling DOCG sparkling wine, Vernaccia di Serrapetrona.
Chief among the reds are the Sangiovese-Montepulciano blends. Other widely planted white grapes include Pinot Bianco, Malvasia Toscana, Pecorino and Bianchello. There’s no end to the blending possibilities and to the exceptional wines from the Marche, one of Italy’s best-kept secrets. [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

The truth about oxygen and wine. New research has shown a 'sweet spot' for wine drinkers when it comes to aging wine in the bottle.

The Good
There is an obvious ‘sweet spot’ to the preferred level of oxygen in a bottle of wine when you drink it. Tasters prefer wines with no more than 6 ppm of oxygen (and usually less) in the bottle.
The wines at this level tasted better than other samples with too much or too little oxidation.

The Bad
Wines that had too little oxygen (reductive) tasted ‘foxy’, as in licking a dog. Over-oxidized had more cooked fruit flavors, were flat and lacked complexity.
The differences were more obvious (even to a novice) in white wine than in red wine. [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

Learn about the 5 major styles of dessert wine, from light and fizzy wines like Moscato d’Asti to rich and age-worthy vintage Port. This guide offers examples and flavor profiles to describe the 5 categories of dessert wine.

Via Mariano Pallottini

Passerina Brut Velenosi, Charmat Method
The Passerina vine, with its rich aromatic properties, is particularly apt to make sparkling wine with the Charmat method. From harvest to fermentation, a new, very fine wine is produced, aged on the lees for about 90 days (Charmat Lungo). The wine obtained is a sparkling wine with a fine and persistent perlage, creamy and silky, with heady and enthralling scents creating and living up to the expectations and makes you want to drink more. Alcohol content: 12,5%
Colour: Bright yellow with greenish shades. Persistent and thin perlage.
Smell: A successful fusion of soft fruity nuances and fresh flowery sensations. Intense, fine, fragrant, recalling acacia flowers, pleasurable and very elegant, with white fruit, peach and citron aromas.
Taste: Lively citrus fruit sensations, soft nuances of bread crust, enthralling aromas of white flowers, together with freshness and flavour (enhanced by its appetizing petillant) are pleasingly in contrast with the smoothness of this wine. Excellent persistence with an agreeable taste/smell match. [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

From my cellar, 2012 Collestefano Verdicchio di Matelica. IWC 94. Pale straw-green. Knockout aromas of quince, pear, white peach and white flowers are complicated by lemony minerality on the vibrant, captivating nose. Rich and broad on entry, then explosive in the middle palate, saturating the mouth with bright, lively floral and fresh citrus flavors that are intensified by penetrating acidity. Finishes extremely long and creamy-rich, expanding to coat the palate and teeth with lingering white peach and floral flavors. The bright acidity conveys an almost weightless mouthfeel to this seamless, rich, extremely concentrated wine. You can tell that owner Fabio Marchionni studied white wine in Germany. This is but one of many outstanding vintages for this wine. Let me be clear: I think it is probably Italy’s single greatest white wine buy. [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

See an accurate picture wine bottle sizes for still wines and learn the proper terms for the most common wine bottle sizes.

Via Mariano Pallottini

Verdicchio is a very tipical wine in Le Marche region. A tour in its land is a mix of food, relaxing landscapes, historical cities and, of course,very good wine.

There are two kinds of Verdicchio: the Verdicchio of Matelica, made in the Macerata’s province around the Matelica city, and the most famous Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, made further north in the province of Ancona. [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

Tenuta Musone cultivates 30 hectares of hillside vineyards (some up to 1400m/ 4600ft), which are all dedicated to the region´s signature grapes Verdicchio and Montepulciano.
Whereas the Marche region has had a certain winemaking tradition, it experienced a real renaissance – especially with sparkling wine and its distinct and autochthonous varietals such as Verdicchio – over the last years.[...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

Marche has 11 DOC zones and one IGT designation, Marche. Its most famous wine is the white varietal wine, Verdicchio (ver-deek-kee-oh). The region’s two most renowned reds are Rosso Cònero (rohs-so coh-nae-ro) and Rosso Piceno (rohs-so pee-chae-no). The fact that many people outside of Marche still haven’t heard of these two fine reds is evidence that Marche has quite a way to go in promoting its wines.

The following sections bring you up to speed on Marche’s top wines and recommend some producers to seek out if you’re interested in trying them. [...]

Via Mariano Pallottini

Appelation: Marche, Red, Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT)Grape varieties: MontepulcianoColour: Deep ruby red.Bouquet: The subtle nose recalls red berry jam, wood, leather and dark chocolate.Taste: The attack on the palate is tannic and delicate. The wine is well structured on strong tannins but without any roughness. The long and persistent finale reminds us of the chocolaty, almost licorice accents. Let it sit in a carafe for a good hour before serving at 18°C with a grilled rib steak in a dark chocolate demi-glaze sauce.
Via Mariano Pallottini

Escape the January grey skies to the shores of Italy, with inspiration and ideas for your next Italian getaway in the new issue of Italia magazine. Property-wise we are mad for Le Marche, and with Fleur Kinson’s guide to getting the most for your money in this stunning region, you’d be mad to miss it too! Whether you are interested in restoration or finished properties, it’s easy to see the best of what is available in issue 111 of Italia. If you are thinking of relocating, you’ll find tips and advice from those in the know on what to look our for and consider when making the move to Italy.

Via Mariano Pallottini

The Brut Passerina La Canosa is bright straw-yellow in colour, showing a nose characterised by a pleasant fusion of fruits flavours, more apple in evidence, and fresh herbaceous sensations of the and camomile. The palate is fresh and mineral, with a pleasant savoury finish with sprightly acidity.

Grape Variety: Passerina 100% Alcohol Content: 12% vol. Pairing: perfect with pasta dishes, risotto in particular, but also a good companion of home-made fruit tarts and biscuits. Serving Temperature: 6°-8° C. (43°- 47° F.) in flute long stem glass

 

Azienda Agricola La Canosa, C.da San Pietro, 6. Rotella (AP) ITALY. Tel. +39 0736 374556 - Fax +39 0736 375256

Via Mariano Pallottini

Pecorino Sparkling wine Brut Cherri is obtained from a selection of grapes from the ancient Pecorino vine. A wine with a cool, fruity, acidulous palate, good density and body with lasting sparkle. Hay-yellow colour, with hints of apple, pineapple and broom.
It is suitable for a whole meal. Recommended on the Ascoli olives and salted aperitif.
Serving temperature 8-10°C.
Alcohol 11,5%.
Type of glass tulip.
Bottle in flat boxes of 6 bottles.

Via Mariano Pallottini

Villa Taurini Verdicchio, Matelica, Italy 2012 (£5.49, Tesco) Most of us will find ourselves caught amid the trolley-rage and Slade of the festive supermarket at some point in the next couple of days, stocking up on random condiments and party nibbles we've suddenly convinced ourselves are essential even though we've only come in for a packet of Paxo. Chances are we'll also be looking to grab some wine with the five spice duck balls and piccalilli, so this week I've come up with a handful of my favourite supermarket bottles. First up, a pair of budget standbys for filling the gaps between the big set-piece meals. Tesco's clean and snappy Villa Taruini Verdicchio has a lot more nutty and citrus character than you'd normally find in a white at this price, and is made for frutti di mare. Even better value can be found at Sainsbury's with the vibrantly juicy, deeply plummy and softly spicy red of Bodegas Juan Gil Pasico Old Vine Monastrell-Shiraz, Jumilla, Spain 2012 (£5.99).

Via Mariano Pallottini

La storia, le caratteristiche fisiche ed organolettiche, come riconoscere e le dritte su come e dove gustare i dolcissimi vini di Pantelleria DOC

Via Paolo Fumagalli

Le Marche is confirmed in thirteenth place in the ranking of the wine production in Italy thanks to a surface area of 17.199 hectares. Ascoli Piceno holds the largest area planted with 6146 acres and max production to 486.089 hectoliters of wine . The production last year grew by 23% and is geared toward high-quality production , with a growth of 15 % of the wines DOC / DOCG .
The production of wine in the Marche, taking in consideration the harvests of the last 5 years, has an average value of 847.800 hectoliters.
The DOC/DOCG, despite growth of 15%, do not represent the majority of the production which is instead composed of table wines which account for 43.5% of the total ; IGT wines represent 21% . As for the type , the region is characterized by the production of red wines which account for 54% of the total and grew by 25% last year compared with an increase of 12.3% of white wines . As part of the wines DOC/DOCG , Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi represents 39% of the total and the first wine red berry is the Rosso Piceno which accounts for 22%. The situation is much more fragmented between DOC of more limited production: The Falerio dei Colli Ascolani is in third place with 6.21%, Offida with 5.53% in the fourth and fifth are establishes the Verdicchio di Matelica with 4.71% .

Via Mariano Pallottini