Le Marche: Italy’s Best-Kept Secret
Le Marche: Italy’s Best-Kept Secret
by Anthony Lynch by Anthony Lynch
6-Bottle Sampler 6-Bottle Sampler
Le Marche: Italy’s Best-Kept Secret
Le Marche: Italy’s Best-Kept Secret
A walk through the vines of La Marca
Italy | Le Marche
Shipping included with sampler purchase.
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Normally $157.00 SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $125.00 (a 20% discount) |
This item does not take further discounts
Italy is full of treasures, and we’ve scoured its backroads to bring you great wines from up and down the boot. So, to claim that Le Marche is the country’s best-kept secret is not something I take lightly. But this central region, tucked between Apennine peaks and Adriatic waters, has everything one could ask for: a long coastline dotted with gorgeous beaches and bustling villages, pristine scenery in its mountains and bucolic rolling hills, an irresistible cuisine with specialties from both land and sea, and, of course, delicious wines galore. Best of all, it remains under the radar, meaning fewer crowds for travelers and, crucially, great value to reward curious palates.
With this sampler of wines from Le Marche, we hope to let you in on the secret. Three Verdicchios showcase the region’s star grape variety, whose mouthwatering verve and food-friendly nature shine in still and sparkling. The red wines feature Montepulciano and some Sangiovese, with terroir-driven expressions distinct from their respective counterparts in neighboring Abruzzo and Tuscany. Finally, the heady Lacrima perfectly highlights the charm of Le Marche in a singular and delightfully aromatic way.
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi • Colleleva $16
One of our greatest white wine values. Scented of zesty lime, almond, and fennel, it finishes on a snappy note that cuts right through fried appetizers and perfectly complements seafood and salads.
2024 Rosso Piceno • Colleleva $17
A chewy blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese, this is Italy’s answer to your everyday Côtes-du-Rhône. The bold dark fruit and hint of spice make it the ideal partner to red sauce pastas and meatballs.
2024 Lacrima di Morro d’Alba • Colleleva $25
The Lacrima grape is a rare specialty of Le Marche: a fragrant red reminiscent of wild roses and juicy berries. Savor it chilled with pizza, Indian curries, or a BLT.
Spumante Dosaggio Zero Col Fondo “Numerosei” • La Marca di San Michele $43
This citrusy sparkler has playful hallmarks of both a pet-nat and metodo classico. It is unmistakably fresh, fun, and chalky here, harkening to the vineyards in which it’s grown, on millions-of-years-old limestone slopes that used to be under the sea.
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto” • La Marca di San Michele $29
This example, from sustainably grown Verdicchio high in the hills, showcases a hint of the variety’s herbaceous side, then reveals a sensuous creamy texture underscored by an energizing flinty note. Verdicchio’s greatest quality is perhaps how well it works at table, enhancing anything from linguine with clams to sliced prosciutto to grilled fish and spring greens.
2021 Marche Rosso “Bastian Contrario” • La Marca di San Michele $27
Pure Montepulciano grown on limestone hillsides at high elevation: savory, smoky, and full of country charm.
A walk through the vines of La Marca
Le Marche has everything one could ask for: a long coastline dotted with gorgeous beaches and bustling villages, pristine scenery in its mountains and bucolic rolling hills, an irresistible cuisine with specialties from both land and sea, and, of course, delicious wines galore.
Shipping included with sampler purchase.
|
Normally $157.00 SPECIAL SAMPLER PRICE $125.00 (a 20% discount) |
About The Region
Le Marche
Le Marche’s reputation as a producer of fine wine is relatively recent, as the region is very much off the beaten path for tourists and tasters alike. And yet, early Etrsucan and Roman civilizations grew grapes here, a tradition that persists and continues to gain momentum in this undulating land where the Apennines descend to the Adriatic.
In between the warm coastline and the cool, rugged mountainous border with Umbria lies a landscape of calcareous rolling hills that provide ideal conditions for viticulture. The zingy, green-tinged, citrus- and pine-scented Verdicchio is king here, producing delightfully crisp whites that perfectly complement the fresh fish and seafood stews of the Adriatic, in addition to the pork-based dishes that are staples inland. Around the towns of Jesi and Matelica, the grape takes on an additional dimension and is even capable of significant aging under the right conditions.
While our involvement in the region is recent, the two producers we represent demonstrate that Le Marche is capable of producing whites of serious interest, which often come at great value.
More from Le Marche or Italy
2009 Delle Venezie Malvasia “Malvatea”
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli
2019 Venezia Giulia Gialloditocai MAGNUM
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli
2022 Isola Dei Nuraghi Bianco “Prama Dorada”
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia
2011 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Santa Maria”
Colleoni Italy | Tuscany
2024 Lacrima di Morro d’Alba
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2021 Marche Rosso “Bastian Contrario”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
Spumante Dosaggio Zero Col Fondo “Numerosei”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
2024 Vino Rosso “Munaloss”
Cantine Garrone Italy | Piedmont
2024 Rosso Piceno
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2017 Alzero Cabernet
Giuseppe Quintarelli Italy | Veneto
2009 Delle Venezie Malvasia “Malvatea”
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli
2019 Venezia Giulia Gialloditocai MAGNUM
Vignai da Duline Italy | Friuli
2022 Isola Dei Nuraghi Bianco “Prama Dorada”
Deperu Holler Italy | Sardinia
2011 Brunello di Montalcino Riserva “Santa Maria”
Colleoni Italy | Tuscany
2024 Lacrima di Morro d’Alba
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2021 Marche Rosso “Bastian Contrario”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2024 Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore “Capovolto”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
Spumante Dosaggio Zero Col Fondo “Numerosei”
La Marca di San Michele Italy | Le Marche
2024 Vino Rosso “Munaloss”
Cantine Garrone Italy | Piedmont
2024 Rosso Piceno
Colleleva Italy | Le Marche
2017 Alzero Cabernet
Giuseppe Quintarelli Italy | Veneto
Where the newsletter started
Where the newsletter started
Every three or four months I would send my clients a cheaply made list of my inventory, but it began to dawn on me that business did not pick up afterwards. It occurred to me that my clientele might not know what Château Grillet is, either. One month in 1974 I had an especially esoteric collection of wines arriving, so I decided to put a short explanation about each wine into my price list, to try and let my clients know what to expect when they uncorked a bottle. The day after I mailed that brochure, people showed up at the shop, and that is how these little propaganda pieces for fine wine were born.—Kermit Lynch