Back to Marche again to look further into other regions within (Rosso Piceno), a new grape (Passerina), and a look into Offida Rosso DOCG.

If you will remember Marche is on the Adriatic Sea a little north of the middle of Italy.  Not as famous a region as its neighbor, Abruzzo. 

Interestingly, Marche shares a border with 5 other regions besides having a coastline on the Adriatic.

ROSSO PICENO DOC

Another great region for producing red wine is Rosso Piceno DOC.  Often confused with Rosso Conero as they have the same grape mix and they both are in the Marche, but Piceno is a different place with different rules on making wine.

Rosso Piceno DOC is made from Montepulciano & Sangiovese grapes.  In some cases, they can make it 100% Sangiovese and still fulfill the DOC requirements. 

The main difference between Rosso Piceno and Rosso Conero is the percentage of Sangiovese permited in the mix, with Rosso Piceno allowing more than 15% Sangiovese in the blend. 

In Rosso Piceno, the minimums are 35-70% Montepulciano and 30-50% Sangiovese when blended.

Personally, I feel Montepulciano grapes and Sangiovese grapes are very similar, particularly in taste.  They are not identical, but very similar. The extra Sangiovese makes a difference in the flavor of the wine.

Rosso Piceno DOC is Marche’s largest producer of red wine.  There are 2453 acres of vines in the region that produce around 584,000 cases of wine a year.

The wines in general are aromatic, red fruit, medium bodied, smooth with some moderate acidity.  They are easy drinking when young, and more structure, complexity, and strength when aged a few years. 

If you enjoy the red wines from Abruzzo, you will find some similarities to Rosso Piceno in Marche.  There are differences in the wines for sure, but the similarities are greater than the differences.

There is Rosso Piceno Superiore too!  

The difference here is Superiore wines must age in wood for a minimum of 1 year before release. 

Wood & time does amazingly delicious things to Montepulciano & Sangiovese. The more time, the merrier.

You would think that everyone would be making Superiore wines in Piceno but that is not the case. 

They put some limitations on the amount of Superiore that can be made.  Plus, it would go against traditional values that established the greatness of these wines so many years ago. 

It doesn’t mean if there is no wood, the wines are less appealing or not as good a quality. 

They are just different, each having its own appeal and liked for different reasons around the world.

Food Pairing:

The whole spectrum of medium bodied foods will work nicely with this wine.

White meats, red meats, red sauces, burgers, pizza, roasted vegetables would all have a place on the table with Rosso Piceno! 

Even fish in a red sauce would be quite nice. 

So much versatility with this wine and most foods. 

Have some fun and experiment with different flavors to find a really good match. 

I think there isn’t a really bad match.

OFFIDA ROSSO DOCG-

This DOCG in Marche used to be under the Rosso Piceno DOC umbrella.  They felt they were getting lost and unappreciated in that DOC so they applied and received the DOC in 2001 & then DOCG designation in 2011.

The region comprises of 1144 acres of vines producing 184,000 cases of wine.  The main red grape is Montepulciano.  The red wines must consist of minimum of 85% Montepulciano in this DOCG.

Now here is why we are mentioning this DOCG.  There are 2 main things that separate it from the other wines.

First, the other red grape allowed in this blend is mostly Cabernet Sauvignon. 

I don’t know if the forefathers are rolling in their graves with invasion of this French varietal not only being allowed in the mix, but to be a contributing factor in the prominence of the wine. 

Granted, there can only be maximum of 15% allowed but that can make a difference in the older traditional ways.

Secondly, there is longer aging (because of the Cab Sauv?) than Rosso Piceno DOC.  Minimum aging is 2 years, of which at least 1 yr. must be in wood barrels.

This is a stronger wine than Piceno reds. They have the same red fruit flavors, herbs, and balance.   When aged, they are softer, full-bodied, and more complex.  The Cabernet grapes amp up the wine with more structure.

When young, they can be a bit tannic and higher in acid.  The aging and composition of red fruits with black fruits (Cabernet grapes) brings a wonderfully different dimension to the wines.

Food Pairing:

This wine is hardier than Rosso Piceno so I would recommend heartier flavored foods such as beef steak, pot roast, lamb, game, stews, hearty sauces, etc. 

It would work aged cheeses, meat pizzas, roasted chicken, burgers, and tomato anything.  Another fun wine to play with and find your match.

Passerina-

Passerina is a grape.  The grape is predominantly grown in Marche but can be seen in Abruzzo & Lazio too. 

Passerina comes from the word Passero which mean Sparrow.  If you see a sparrow on a label of Italian white wine it probably is Passerina.

This grape has quite a few alias names.  One that I thought was interesting is “Pagadebit”.  It is called that because the vines produce high yields that allow the grower to “pay their debt”.  Pagadebit means to pay debt.

It is often confused with Trebbiano Toscano so they might be related.

Verdicchio is the primary white grape of Marche.  Passerina would be second with about 1603 acres of vines planted in Marche.

Passerina is citus, peach, pear, high acid, light to medium bodied.  I would say the taste would be similar to Tuscan Trebbiano, save a bit fruiter in the mouth. 

I haven’t seen any in Colorado but doesn’t mean it isn’t around.  It would be worth seeking out!

The wines of Marche are quite nice and good wine values.  There is certainly some high priced wines from here, but overall, great wine values.

Marche isn't as popular or has a big city draw like other regions, but these wines are outstanding and a lovely change from the Chianti or Pinot Grigio's so commonly found in wine stores.

Food Pairing:

A great wine to start the evening with appetizers, or conversation. 

White meats, vegetables, cream sauces and most seafood or fish.

Fish and Passerina could be the perfect match.  I suggest to try it and see!