Optimum Wine

Reading today a passage written by Mario Soldati in his famous late 50's 'Vino al vino' can be useful to draw a clear picture, even if rapid and schematic, of wine growing and wine producing sector in Piceno territory: 'Few wine growing landscapes shall I remember more magnificent and charming than the natural amphitheatre in Monteprandone. A different view from those of the Langhe, of the Valtellina or of the Collio, but absolutely not less grand. The village on top. Below, towards the south, the valley like an extended amphitheatre. Rather steep gradients, a landscape dappled with large vineyards, some laid horizontally, some perpendicularly, according to fall lines… In no other region have I seen such a variety of ways of planting vineyards as in Marche…'. Since then, the rural landscape has changed a lot, here like elsewhere, but good preservation of the environment has allowed Piceno wines to reach ambitious targets, and promises even more great results for the future. The surprise that seized Soldati is the same that outside observers have experienced over the last few decades when discovering the quality potential of this territory. His heroic travel preceded by some years the introduction of the first Italian DOC wines (standing for Protected Designation of Origin or PDO wines).

The area started expressing its potential just from the first PDO wines certifications in the late 60's, at first hesitantly, slowly and sporadically; later in a more assertive way and, in the last few years, with a greater consciousness of the need to act according to a territorial logic: a process developed in a time when consumption and taste of wine consumers are undergoing remarkable overall changes.

The "Rosso Piceno" and "Rosso Piceno Superiore" wines were born from similar grapes, and are still based on them: they are made from "Sangiovese" and "Montepulciano" grapes, in percentages that the latest production rules and regulations redressed in favour of the latter, dropping the original rules that allowed the option of adding modest percentages of either "Trebbiano" or "Passerina" grapes, a Chianti-style option that is obsolete by now, both here and in the Chianti region. Recent supplementary additions to the production rules and regulations has introduced two new types of "Rosso Piceno": they are called "Rosso Piceno Novello" and "Rosso Piceno Sangiovese", both produced for a long time in the province - to offer a more differentiated range of types. The other historic PDO, the "Falerio" wine, is made mostly of Tuscan "Trebbiano" and percentages of other grapes such as "Passerina", "Verdicchio", "Malvasia", "Pecorino", "Pinot Blanc". Over the last few years, several producers have succeeded in interpreting this appellation contrôlée, which is not particularly characterized in itself (the grapes used have been often suffering from an "inferiority complex" in comparison with the better identifiable "Verdicchio" from the pureness point of view), with brilliant results in terms of expressive richness and greater preservability.

From the 2001 grapes harvest on , the new "DOC Offida" wine is in force. This certification applies to several types of wines, from red wine based on "Montepulciano" grapes with the possibility of adding other vines such as "Cabernet Sauvignon", "Merlot" and others, to a series of white wines that outstandingly marks the local grapevine platform, such as "Passerina" and "Pecorino". Besides the new and/or renewed PDO's, there are some types of wine - either made with the pure "Sangiovese" or "Montepulciano" or made with other grapes - that have managed to win wide audiences, thanks to producers' uncompromising choices of quality and a new consciousness of today's "wine world" market. Perhaps nowadays, for the first time to such a perceivable extent, the interest in Marche's good drinking and good living, and particularly in Piceno's province, is being channelled towards these places and requires greater and wider planning skills, open-minded logics and a firm will to preserve territorial culture. We should not miss opportunities that can favourably influence, in terms of sustainable development (and close interrelation between new agriculture and tourist offers), the future of this territory.

Optimum Wine

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