Marches

The Marches (Ital. Marche) region in Italy, with the regional capital of Ancona, has a total vineyard area of 24.590 hectares. It is located on the Adriatic coast in central Italy, it borders on Tuscany and Umbria in the west. The Celts were the first to grow wine here, followed by the Etruscans. The Romans conquered the area in the 3rd century BC. The Roman writer the elder Pliny (23-79 AD) mentioned the Praetutium from Ancona on the Adriatic coast (see also under antique wines). Legend has it that the king of the Visigoths, Alarich (370-410 AD), had Verdicchio, which is still the most famous white wine today, supplied to his troops when he marched on Rome. The medical doctor and naturalist Andrea Bacci (1524-1600 AD), who was born in SantÂ’Elpido a Mare, and is one of the most famous sons of the region, reports that Hannibal (247-183 BC) of Carthage, when he was marching on Rome revived the tired horses of his army with a large quantity of Conero wine (today the DOC Rosso Conero). The combination of the ocean as well as the mountain ranges of the Tuscan Apennines to the west creates a cool temperate climate. Practically all the vineyards are located on sloping sites with mostly clay soils. The most widely planted grape varieties are the white Trebbiano Toscano, Biancame (Bianchello, Passerina), Maceratino, Pecorino, Verdicchio, Pinot Bianco, Pinot Grigio and Malvasia, as well as the red varieties Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Lacrima die Morro and Vernaccia di Serrapetrona. Around half the wines produced are red, the other half white. The Marches are also the original home of several famous wine-producing families, such as Catena (Argentina), Gallo and Mondavi (both in California), who emigrated to the Americas and founded their empires there. The DOC zones are:

* Bianchello del Metauro
* Colli Maceratesi
* Colli Pesaresi
* Esino
* Falerio dei Colli Ascolani
* Lacrima di Morro d´Alba
* Offida
* Rosso Conero (Riserva = DOCG)
* Rosso Piceno
* Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
* Verdicchio di Matelica
* Vernaccia di Serrapetrona (DOCG)