The Grapevine Has Grown And Flourished In Our Corner Of Earth For 2,650 Years…

from some 200 seeds of vitis vinifera found inside the tomb of a warrior prince of the Piceni people of the 7th
century BC, to notarial declarations of 1579, which describe the suitability of the Camertina valley to the cultivation of the verdicchio grape and to the Brungentile (today’s sangiovese). All of the testimonies bear witness to an ancient, millennia-old tradition of winemaking in this magnificent, nonpareil land of the Marche. Further, beginning in the 16th century, in the Archivio Catastale Matelicese, mention was made of these grapes’ need to not be picked too early; and in the opinion of the doctor Francesco Scacchi (De salubri potu dissertatio , Rome, 1622), they could also make a fizzy wine in the bottle, forerunner of our sparkling wines, well before the well-known experiments a French Benedictine monk, Dom
Perignon.

Crowned In 1967 With Establishment OfDOC StatusWe must wait, however, some three centuries (1879) to have the first ampelographic description of the verdicchiogrape as the finestwhite wine grape grown in the Marche, whichrecognised the uniqueness and versatility of thisextraordinary grape. It was officially crowned in1967 with establishment of DOC status, the firstin the Marche and 14th in Italy. The grape continued its star trajectory with the granting in2010 of DOCG status to its Riserva version, thusreaching a milestone unique in the Italian wineworld. Such is the fascination of long-ago eras,from the Bronze Age to our own day, connectedthroughout their vicissitudes by the thin red lineof the vine and its wine, that as always tells thestory of mankind and its emotions.