The Ides of Marche

The Marche is a region of central Italy that was previously ignored in favour of neighbouring Abruzzo. The red Montepulciano of the aforementioned Abruzzo has long been the staple house wine of many a trattoria, and a great all-rounder it is too. Fruity, medium bodied and fresh, it has enough concentration to match with the heartiest of Italian dishes, plus it’s a bargain to boot.

However, some forward thinking producers, like Umani Ronchi, have been making waves with the region’s long-forgotten white varieties, and some vibrant, intriguing reds.

Umani Ronchi 

Owned by the Bianchi-Bernetti family for well over 50 years, Umani Ronchi has become one of Italy’s most respected producers thanks to its championing of local wines such as Verdicchio Classico and Rosso Conero. As one of the third generation of Umani Ronchi, Michele Bernetti took the reins in the late 1980s, developing a family business with terroir as its cornerstone.

Verdicchio

For Michele, the finest grape of Marche, and the wine that defines Umani Ronchi, is the indigenous Verdicchio.  He produces wine in the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC, an area with the perfect climate for top quality Verdicchio, being just 20 miles from the Adriatic. Umani Ronchi have transformed the style and image of this wine, using lower yields in order to produce concentrated fruit flavours and a rounded palate.

On the 30^th anniversary of Umani Ronchi’s Verdicchio Classico Superiore, Casal di Serra 2013 last year, Daily Mail wine critic Matthew Jukes wrote:

“...my favourite Verdicchio – the brilliant, single vineyard Casal di Serra. Tasting like a classy Italian ‘Chablis-style’ white I have followed this great value wine for 28 of its years and every single one has been a stunner.”

Michele says that the family’s Verdicchio can be seen as two wines in one:

“... our Verdicchio not only has an easy drinking characteristic in youth (thanks to acidity and freshness) but also a more surprising capacity to age that will bring them to be great wines even after over 10 years!”

Montepulciano...but not as we know it

Rosso Conero is made with the Montepulciano grape, together with a maximum of 15% Sangiovese; the finest examples, however, use a minimal amount of Sangiovese. In fact, Umani Ronchi’s version, Cumaro, Rosso Conero Riserva 2010, doesn’t use a drop – it is a 100% Montepulciano. The wine takes its name from Mount Conero, a mountain which towers over Ancona in the south, and it is certainly a wine that stands head and shoulders above all other reds of the region.

This flagship red uses the very best hand-selected grapes from the family’s 'San Lorenzo' vineyard in Sbrozzola, Osimo - the wine’s hints of wild cherry and fruits of the forest are complemented by the 16 months of barrel ageing and 7 months resting in the bottle.

Also try...

As well as these modern classics, Umani Ronchi produces a couple of other fabulous whites and reds that are definitely worth seeking out.

The Pecorino Golden Fleece 2013 is a fragrant, minerally wine that makes a refreshing aperitif or a lovely match with seafood or simply grilled fish. On the nose there are hints of peach, mango and candied rose petals that open up to a long, full, mineral-rich palate. The wine is also brilliantly packaged, with a fresh, modern, inviting label.

Wine buyer Sergio de Luca reported back from his Made in Italy tasting weekend in Bath recently, saying that the Umani Ronchi Lacrima di Morro d'Alba 2013 was one of the surprise customer favourites. Again, the wine is beautifully labelled, full of vibrant aromas of rose and violet and crushed blackberry. The palate has a firm structure that would suggest a food match with rich meats like venison or even a roast Easter lamb.

By Chris Penwarden