Introducing Le Marche

Little known, Le Marche ranks among Italy’s wine regions with the greatest potential—if only because, in a relatively small area, you can find both great white wines and excellent reds. While the latter has become almost a given in Italy, the former remains rare.

Le Marche begins just before Pesaro and stretches nearly 200 kilometers down to Ascoli Piceno, wedged between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea. Small rivers regularly flow toward the sea, and along their slopes, under often ideal conditions, vineyards are planted. Things get particularly interesting around Jesi and especially in Cupramontana (more on this below), where the rolling hills of the interior are dominated by Verdicchio.

Verdicchio is one of Italy’s finest white grape varieties. When treated with care, it yields wines with structure, body, vibrancy, and a complex aromatic profile marked by floral notes and delicate fruit, while also expressing the genius loci—the spirit of the place. Verdicchio even handles new oak reasonably well, though the best results usually come from large barrels. Another stronghold of Verdicchio is around Matelica, though the region still lacks enough winemakers capable of transforming its excellent potential into wines of matching quality.

Between the two Verdicchio zones, and with a view of the Adriatic (which becomes truly scenic just south of Ancona), lies Monte Cònero—a striking limestone mass where Montepulciano (often blended with Sangiovese) thrives. The climate here is dominated by the sea: warmer than inland, with northern winds typically blocked by the ridge, and vineyard exposures almost exclusively facing south. The result is wines that aren’t suited for children’s birthday parties—and too often, unfortunately, not much else either. Only a few winemakers manage to strike the right balance, and it generally makes sense to counter the intensity and opulence of Montepulciano with the linearity of Sangiovese.

Further southwest, where the land gradually but steadily rises toward the Apennines, you’ll find one of those grape enclaves Italy is full of—in this case, Vernaccia Nera, a red variety grown around the village of Serrapetrona. From it, deeply colored, weighty sparkling wines are produced, marked by floral and berry aromas. It’s surprising not only that sparkling wines are the goal here, but also that 40% of the grapes must be air-dried. Meanwhile—presumably for economic reasons—still versions are also being bottled.

The southern part of Le Marche is the domain of Montepulciano and Pecorino. The latter has always stood in the shadow of Verdicchio, but in recent years, the area around Offida has been exploring its full potential. The key is to manage the often extremely high (malic) acidity through yield reduction, the right biotype, suitable exposures, and late harvesting. Pecorino typically shows intense herbal notes, often coupled with pear and apple aromas. It usually has a lean body, but surprisingly high alcohol levels.

All the way down south, near the border with Abruzzo, lies the Piceno area—long derided for its wines, not entirely unfairly. The focus was on quantity, which, even under ideal conditions, usually comes at the expense of flavor. But over the past 15 years, under the leadership of Marco Casolanetti of Oasi degli Angeli, a group of natural winemakers has begun to reverse the trend by making wines from very few, highly concentrated grapes. The result: extremely expressive and proudly priced prestige cuvées that, in our view, come off a bit too bombastic. Still, a foundation has been laid—hopefully for a golden middle path in the near future.

Cupramontana

As already briefly mentioned above, a few more words about Cupramontana. This is the home of Corrado Dottori—arguably one of Italy’s best natural winemakers. His Verdicchio “Gli Eremi” is among the finest white wines you can pour in the entire country. But he’s not just a brilliant winemaker—he’s also an excellent writer. It’s worth quoting his own explanation of the terroir of his vineyards:

“The terroir of Cupramontana has long been considered ideal for the production of structured and age-worthy wines. These wines are characterized by fine minerality, vibrant acidity, and aromatic complexity. The vineyards are spread around the village, which sits atop the highest hill in the area—at an elevation of 505 meters. The variety of exposures and slopes, as well as the alternating soils, has led many local winemakers over the years to vinify single vineyard sites (known here as Contrade). To honor this tradition—which has its roots in the rural and mezzadria (sharecropping) agricultural history of Le Marche—a first zoning project for the municipal area has been developed in recent years.

Those interested in learning more about vineyard zoning can do so at the M.I.G. (Musei In Grotta) on Via Leopardi in Cupramontana."

It’s worth noting that the Cupramontana area belongs to the Umbrian-Marche Apennines, which are essentially composed of marine sedimentary rocks. Beginning in the Miocene, around 23 million years ago, these sediments were compressed, fractured, folded, and uplifted by tectonic forces—thus forming the mountains and hills of the Apennines, which rose from the ancient “Tethys” ocean, known to geologists as the proto-Mediterranean basin.

The hills of the Cupramontana terroir were formed in the final phase of this tectonic uplift and deformation process, around the Lower Pliocene—approximately 4 to 5 million years ago.

Contrada San Michele

"Often regarded as the “Grand Cru” of Verdicchio, San Michele embodies the essence of Cupramontana wines.

Viticulture here likely dates back to the work of the Camaldolese monks, who established a hermitage near the current Church of San Michele—founded by Saint Romuald shortly after the year 1000. Across the Castelli di Jesi area, the monks cleared forests (the so-called Terre Silvate) to plant vineyards and arable land.

San Michele has long been seen as a natural cru—a concept found in both historical documents and oral tradition. It’s a pure south-facing slope with excellent ventilation and a high altitude that allows for significant diurnal temperature variation.

Harvesting here begins earlier than in other sites, and the wines are marked by aromas of Mediterranean herbs and orange peel.

The soils are poor and calcareous, with a high content of clay, marl, and gypsum. Sandstone is less common and found mostly in the upper sections of the ridge.

Wines from this site are defined by power, structure, and minerality—traits typical of this side of the region. In warm vintages, they show muscularity and flavor depth; in cooler years, they impress with iodine and maritime notes."

P.S. If you ever find yourself in Cupramontana, definitely have dinner at Trattoria Anita.