The Verdicchio white wine of Le Marche

Verdicchio is the most famous and well known white wine of the Marche region, its presence first recorded in the 14th Century. The while the grape is grown throughout the region it is most widely encountered in the DOC wines of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi and Verdicchio di Matelica.

The grapes are primarily grown in the two central provinces of Le Marche, Ancona and Macerata while the area of Castelli di Jesi, located around the commune of Jesi in the Ancona province is the larger of the two areas and tends to produce a higher volume, while the wines of Verdicchio di Matelica are located in the nearby province of Macerata.

The Verdicchio grape is most probably indigenous to the Marche region but some believe that it may be genetically related to the Trebbiano grape variety, the clones of trebbiano grown in Lombarday and Soave are very similar. All the white grape varieties in Italy are probably originally genetically derived from the Greco grape type which is why most show some similarities even though barely noticeable in most cases.

The wine has a slightly green or yellow hew and can also be very slightly frizzante or sparkling and is excellent to have with pasta, fish and chicken.