Verdicchio di Matelica Doc

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Verdicchio di Matelica, the most characteristic wine of the Macerata hills, is produced in an area close to the Apennine Chain between the provinces of Macerata and Ancona, with its epicentre in the city of Matelica. Amongst the suggestive ranges that animate the landscape of this land medieval castles, built in the period between the 12th and 14th centuries, from which the high towers that formed an efficient signal system along the territory that reaches the upper Apennines from the Adriatic Sea stand out. Amongst the stories attached to this wine is that of the passion that tied the Marche musician Gioacchino Rossini to the wines of his homeland, amongst which Verdicchio. It is told that at one of the numerous banquets offered by the composer a marquis was invited who did so much honour to the dishes and bottles served as to induce Rossini to note how his guest had “honourably dishonoured” his name. Further, one cannot but mention another great protagonist of the oenogastronomical history of Matelica: the "vincisgrassi", a local variation of the more renowned lasagne, which, notwithstanding their strong flavour, can be enjoyed with Verdicchio di Matelica, a wine differing from the more renowned Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi due to its colour, tending towards green, and its more vigorous structure. The types foreseen are four: Verdicchio di Matelica, Sparkling, Reserve and Passito.

How it is consumed

Verdicchio di Matelica goes well with raw hors d'oeuvres (bivalve molluscs of various types), savoury fish with sauces, pasta dishes with fish; fish lasagne, seafood risotto, typical fish soups. When aged, it should be savoured with Adriatic sole and Ancona-style dried cod. It also goes well with the traditional local cold meats and salami such as Carpegna Raw Ham, Ciauscolo and Fabriano salami. It should be served within two years of bottling at 8-10 °C in medium size flared tulip shaped goblets or wide if aged (at 10-12 °C).

How it is conserved

To conserve this wine correctly, the bottles should be stored horizontally on wooden shelves, as this material cushions impacts and vibrations, in the dark, at a constant temperature of 10-15°C and with humidity in the range of 70-75%, to prevent the corks from drying.

How it is produced

In the production of Verdicchio di Matelica the grapes are harvested perfectly sound and with the attacks by parasites that would compromise the quality of the wine. The juice is immediately extracted from the fruit, so that fermentation only involves the liquid part and not the peel. To achieve this end pressing is not always carried out to avoid further deterioration in the prime material and is frequently of the whole grape that serves, in substance, to separate the must from the peel and the other solid parts, reducing laceration of the peel to a minimum. After pressing the must is filtered, the particles in suspension removed, sulphur dioxide added and the must is fermented at no more than 20°C. Finally the wine is drawn from the vats and decanted to clear it. After decanting the product is ready for bottling. The Reserve type is aged for two years of which at least 4 months of ageing in the bottle, whilst the Passito type is instead aged for a year.

Product report