Marche: Geography, Climate, Grapes, etc. Flashcards
Who is Francesco Sacchi?
He was a physician and Marche native, who, in 1622, published the essay “De Salubri Potu Dissertatio” giving instruction on how to obtain fizzy wines through re-fermentation in bottle. These effervescent wines are considered the first examples of Italian sparkling wine.
Where is Marche located?
This region is in east-central Italy and borders the Adriatic Sea. Emilia-Romagna lies to the north, Abruzzo is situated to the south and Umbria sits to the west on the other side of the Apennines.
The region is administratively divided into five provinces.
What is the capital of Marche?
Ancona; it is one of Italy’s major commercial and fishing ports.
Describe the topography of Marche.
It is entirely composed of hills and mountains and can be divided into 3 diagonal bands: mountains, hills and coastline. Each band parallels the others and runs the entire length of the 120mi/200km region in a northwest to southeast direction. The region lacks any substantial flat plains.
How much of Marche is occupied by mountains?
The western band is entirely occupied by the Central Appenines, accounting for 31% of the total territory.
This range includes several peaks exceeding 6,500ft/2,000m in altitude.
The Monti Sibillini, found in the southwestern corner, is one of the highest within the Apennine mountain groups and is also Marche’s highest sub-range.
What percentage of Marche is occupied by hills?
69%; the middle hilly band stretches approx. 20mi/30km in width and encomposses more than two-thirds of the entire territory.
This region is Italy’s second hilliest region after Umbria.
The majority of the region’s vineyards and appellations are situated here.
What is ‘il gomita d’Italia’?
‘The elbow of Italy’; This refers to the shift in direction the coastline takes from Ancona to Monte Conero.
Describe the coastline in Marche.
The very narrow eastern band consists of a long, straight coastline. The coast is almost entirely flat (with the notable exception of the Monte Conero promontory south of Ancona) and has sandy, gravelly beaches.
The high cliffs of Monte Conero provide some of the most stunning vistas along the entier Adriatic coast.
How do the rivers in Marche flow?
The region has a large number of short rivers and streams that descend from the Central Apennines, often forming picturesque gorges as they cut through the mountains. These rivers flow parallel to each other, but perpendicular to the coast. The river valleys form a comb-line structure that channels oceanic air currents to the region’s interior.
What are the most important rivers in Marche?
From north to south:
* Foglia (leaf)
* Metauro
* Misa
* Esino
* Potenza (power)
* Chienti
* Tronto
What is the climate in Marche?
In general, the climate is moderately Mediterranean along the coast and in nearby hills. Conditions become progressively more continental moving inland towards the Central Apennines where proximity to the mountains trumps any sea influence.
What topographical features influence the climate in Marche?
The climate is strongly affected by its position between the Adriatic Sea and the Central Apennines.
The higher elevation of the interior results in greater seasonal and diurnal temperature variation than is found along the coast. This explains the region’s success with white grape varieties and Marche’s excellent reputation for white wine.
What are the 2 climatic halves that Marche can be divided into?
These climatic halves are divided by the Monte Conero promontory.
Areas north of Monte Conero have the most exposure to cool northeastern wines. Conditions are slightly more continental. Summers are warm and muggy, while winters are marked by fog and cold temperatures.
Conditions to the south become more Mediterranean and are characterized by warm, breezy summers and mild winters.
How does rainfall vary across the region of Marche?
Average rainfall levels tend to be lowest in the southern half of the coast and increase moving towards the north and west.
Spring & autumn tend to be the rainiest seasons. In winter, snow covers the Apennines and often blankets the inland hills as well.
What are the 3 different groupings of soil types in Marche and what areas do they correspond to?
- Inland, near Matelica and Serrapetrona; a band of medium-to-high-elevation hills running parallel to the Central Apennines: Soils are sandstone, marl and clay.
- Set of hills with varied elevations located a bit closer to the coast; the hills of Castelli di Jesi, & hills around Ancona, Macerata, Offida and Ascoli Piceno: Largely composed of calcareous clay.
- Low coastal hills running fro Pesaro to San Benedetto del Tronto: composed of clay and sandy-gravelly marine sediments.
Rank the grapes planted in Marche from most to least widely.
- Sangiovese (21%)
- Montepulciano (19%)
- Verdicchio (13%)
- Biancame (6%)
- Trebbiano Toscano (4%)
- Passerina (4%)
- Malvasia Bianca Lunga (3%)
-
Pecorino (3%)
Others (27%)
The 3 most widely planted grapes account for half of the total vineyard area.
Native & traditional grapes account for the great majority of plantings.
International grapes play a very minor role - roughly representing just 5% of the total vineyard acreage.
List Marche’s native and traditional red varieties.
- Sangiovese
- Montepulciano
- Lacrima
- Vernaccia Nera
Others:
* Vernaccia di Pergola (Aleatico)
* Ciliegiolo
What is Marche’s most widely planted grape?
Sangiovese; it is used in several of the region’s DOCs and DOCGs and often appears in blends with Montepulciano where it provides acidity and sour cherry fruit.
It is gradually losing ground to Montepulciano, which performs a bit better in the region.
Which grape that is prominently grown in Marche is native to neighboring Abruzzo?
Montepulciano; the grape plays a dominant role in Marche’s most important bottlings, both as a varietal and in blends with Sangiovese.
Where in Marche are Sangiovese and Montepulciano typically planted?
While Sangiovese tends to dominate Marche’s northern sector, Montepulciano becomes more prominent moving south. The grape ripens fully in warmer temperatures and is unanimously considere to produce Marche’s best red wines.
What are the typical characteristics of Montepulciano wines from Marche?
Deep ruby colour and fruity, cherry flavors. They tend to be full in body and high in alcohol with thick, ripe tannins.
What is an important fact to note in regard to the Montepulciano grape and the region of Marche?
Marche is not allowed to used the word Montepulciano on wine labels as part of an appellation name.
Only Tuscana and Abruzzo have the right to use the name Montepulciano in their appellations (as a place in Toscana and as a grape in Abruzzo)
