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Verdicchio Classico

Marche is located on the eastern side of the Apennines and is best known for its white wines made from the Verdicchio grape, arguably Italy’s greatest native white grape variety. Of all the DOC classified wine produced in Marche, more than half is the famous Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC, an appellation that refers to the grapes grown on either side of the Esino River west of Jesi.

Verdicchio has always been a favourite of the growers, as it adapts readily to different terroirs, its tendency to ripen slowly and evenly, allowing for complex wines, and maintaining high levels of acidity, meaning the wines can be both crisp and refreshing as well as very age-worthy.

Verdicchio is used to produce all kinds of wine, from dry to sweet to sparkling, though the best are dry, some of which can age ten years or more, and is probably the one Italian native white grape whose wines have the greatest affinity with oak aging. It is named for its colour, in this case the very obviously green (verde) tinged berries and has been grown in central Italy at least since the fifteenth century.

The reputation of Verdicchio suffered somewhat in the past with the large amount of bland wines. Thankfully, with the designation of the smaller Classico zone in the hills of the area, it's now possible to find good quality Classico and Classico Superiore examples.

Although it is not typically a full bodied white, it has a distinctive aroma and flavour, a piney resiny flavour along with suggestions of apples, pears, lemons, green herbs and can develop notes of honey and almonds with bottle age.