📍 Marche

Marche is a region in central Italy between the Apennines and the Adriatic Sea; its main city is Ancona. The land is hilly, with plains only along the rivers and the narrow coast. The region borders Emilia-Romagna, Tuscany, Umbria, Lazio and Abruzzo. Marche is part of Italian wine.

The best-known white wine is Verdicchio, made in the Castelli di Jesi district and in Matelica. Verdicchio is valued for its freshness, acidity and an almond note. Among the reds, Conero stands out, a Montepulciano wine grown on the slopes of Monte Conero by the sea. Montepulciano and Sangiovese also give Rosso Piceno.

Other appellations include Offida (Pecorino and Passerina), Lacrima di Morro d'Alba, Bianchello del Metauro, Falerio, Colli Maceratesi and Serrapetrona, where a rare sparkling red is made from Vernaccia Nera.

The districts of Marche are scattered as small islands across the hills, and each highlights its own grape, from Verdicchio to Pecorino and Passerina. The coast of Marche is narrow, and most of the vineyards lie on hills inland. The cities of Marche, Ancona, Pesaro and Urbino, were important centres of trade and culture from the Middle Ages to the Renaissance.