FAST FACTS TOTAL AREA: GRAPE VARIETIES: Verdicchio, Passerina, Pecorino, Montepulciano, Sangiovese TOTAL WINE PRODUCTION: 860 hl APPELLATIONS: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC, Cònero DOCG, Rosso Cònero DOC, Rosso Piceno DOC, Marche IGT PRODUCERS GAROFOLI

OVERVIEW

Marche is a region on the Adriatic coast of central Italy, between Emilia Romagna and Abruzzo. It is often called Le Marche (pronounced lay MAR-kay), and infrequently the English equivalent The Marches, because in medieval times it comprised three frontier domains, each known as a “march” or, in Italian, marca---plural marche. Those domains disappeared several hundred years ago, but the name stuck. Marche boasts many lively seaside towns (well known to Europeans if not Americans), the religious and historical attractions of Urbino and Loreto, and some delightful wines with a growing fan base.

Three grape varieties make up more than half of Marche’s production. The top two are red: Sangiovese and Montepulciano, in nearly equal proportions. Marche thus forms a middle ground between Sangiovese-dominated Tuscany and Umbria on the west and Montepulciano-dominated Abruzzo on the south. The other primary grape variety is Marche’s highly respected white, Verdicchio. Less common varieties associated with Marche include the whites Passerina and Pecorino and the red Lacrima.