Le Marche, Central Italy Great Sparkling wines, chiselled from the heart. Part 1 of 3

A lot has been written about Italy over the years, that’s for sure and even more about Italian wine!
We all buy it, drink it and for the most part, love it! But maybe it’s time to back up a little and ask
ourselves, are we really getting the best of what Italy has to offer when we spend our hard-earned
cash on Italian wine? For some, maybe, but for the vast majority of wine consumers, the good stuff
never reaches the general public or their palates and that’s a fact.

Whether you buy your wine from your local supermarket, wine merchant or online supplier,
chances are the same names, regions, producers and wines seem to pop up every time, so the great
vintages of the artisan producers rarely get a look in. This is particularly true of Le Marche, an area
which is seldom mentioned, but which deserves at least some of the spotlight for being one of the
great winemaking regions of Italy.

It’s a great pity that this area and its wine producers are rarely considered. Part of the reason is
that the wineries here have much lower marketing budgets and cannot compete with the bigger
more famous denominations. On top of that, certain brands and wines have been so ingrained into
our drinking habits that we believe, wrongly, that anything produced outside these popular regions
is not worth buying. But why do we struggle to venture outside our comfort zones? Especially
with the age of the Internet where all the information you need is at the touch of a button. It’s time
to cut to the chase and bang the drum for a region full of artisan winemakers that few give a second
thought to.

It’s not unusual to hear at wine events throughout Europe and beyond, Le Marche being mentioned
and presented as being part of Abruzzo or even as part of Southern Italy, presumably with the sole
intention of boosting sales. Moreover, wine industry professionals often refer to Central Italy simply
as ‘Tuscany and Umbria’ with not even a mention of Le Marche! It’s time to right this ignorant and
damaging wrong.

Le Marche has, among many other wonderful treasures, a fabulous wine sector, right across the
board. Famous white wines of the north zone include Verdicchio di Jesi, a warm climate white wine
made in several levels of quality from Classico to Riserva with proven ageability. This wine
consistently wins top awards in international wine competitions and is without question Italy’s most
successful white wine. Onwards and upwards in the mountains of Le Marche, Verdicchio di
Matelica, a cool climate white, offering a completely different style to its Jesi cousin, is also no
stranger to international fame, with one particular artisan wine consistently voted the best white in
the world. And to the south there is Passerina, as well as the Pecorino varietal with great ageability,
currently giving Verdicchio a serious run for its money.

But what of the sparkling wines of Le Marche? Well, according to several legal Italian documents,
it all started here. In fact, the Passerina grape was used to make the first sparkling wine in 1622 – a
full 50 years before Dom Pérignon registered his famous Champagne! Surely this should be enough
reason to discover more and celebrate Le Marche’s bubbles.

Fast forward to the 1800s and the reign of Napoleon and the Kingdom of Italy. Le Marche, being a
papal state was annexed by the kingdom after a peace agreement with the Vatican was signed.
What followed was a very strong French influence on the region, including the introduction of
French varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Noir
and Syrah. Today, these varieties are all grown very successfully here, side by side with the native
varieties, contributing to a healthy, vibrant and diverse wine scene.

The real jewel in the Le Marche wine crown, however, could well be its production of sparkling
wine. Current figures estimate that there are well over 100 full-time producers in operation here,
using various formats of Metodo Martinotti,(Charmat) as well as the Metodo Classico (traditional)
Champagne method. The sparkling wines to the north are made primarily from 100% Verdicchio and
sometimes blended with a touch of Chardonnay, giving the wine richness, complexity and great
acidity. (Part 2 of this series will take a closer look at the best artisan producers of these wines).
To the South, Marche sparkling wines are often made from the Passerina grape, giving the wine
lovely floral notes, freshness and a perfect balance while offering up herbal and bread crust notes.
Sparkling wine to the south is also made from the famous Pecorino grape. In contrast to wines made
from Passerina, Pecorino offers brilliant perlage and rich aromatics of acacia, jasmine and tropical
fruits with a rich, intense finish.

Then, of course, there are the Le Marche sparkling wines made from the international varieties of
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. These intriguing blends offer notes of peach, sweet tobacco, orange
peel, and hazelnut, with elegant and refined finishes.

Most of Le Marche bubbles are made to drink young and to accompany the cuisine of the region.
Le Marche is coastal from north to south and mountainous from east to west, therefore seafood is
paired perfectly with the wines near the coast and as one moves further inland and higher into the
mountains, the wines marry well with stronger-flavoured and meat-based dishes.

And then, right in the heart of Le Marche, is the community of Serrapetrona. It’s home to the
smallest DOCG in Italy and is the only region in the world to make high quality sparkling red
wines using 3 stages of fermentation. This wine is Vernaccia Nera and is only produced by 5
wineries. As if sparkling wine was not hard enough to make, the producers in Serrapetrona, such as
Alberto Quacquarini and Massimo Serboni, take spumante to the next level. Here’s how it happens:
The first stage of the process begins with a late harvest of 60% of the grapes. After crushing, the
must goes through partial or full fermentation, creating either a sweet or dry still wine with a
slightly natural spritz. The wine is then stored in temperature-controlled steel vats, and the first
stage of carbonic fermentation commences.

The remaining 40% of the harvest is hung or boxed in 3-5kg wooden crates and left to dry for 3
months. These grapes are then pressed, fermented and made into a concentrated dessert wine
(passito) creating the second stage of fermentation – ‘appassimento’ or ‘rasinate’, to concentrate the
sugars and flavours. Already we can see the similarities between this method and those of the best
Amarone and Valpolicelle!

Finally, the first and second fermentations are blended together and the third and final stage of
fermentation commences in autoclave tanks. The wine is then left to settle in the bottle for anything up
to 6 months before release.

Vernaccia Nera is an incredible wine, made to pair with meat dishes, chocolate, dessert, but also
perfect on its own or to start up a party. In fact, it’s a chef’s and Sommelier’s dream wine due to its
versatility and ability to be paired with many dishes right across the restaurant menu.

The history and future of Le Marche sparkling winemaking is rich and forward-thinking, with many
new generation winemakers returning from abroad to take the helm at the family vineyard. In time,
many more Le Marche wines will be making the headlines. Remember – Le Marche is an integral
part of Central Italy and a very important region to watch!

In the next part of this series, we’ll take a closer look at some of the best artisan sparkling wine
producers in the north of this region. In the meantime, ‘salute’, ‘cin cin’ and here’s to Le Marche
Sparkling wine!