Verdicchio (Grape, Italy)

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Verdicchio is indigenous to Italy, famous from the Marche region of central Italy and it takes its name from “verde” which means green and in its entirety it would be “the little green one”. This is because the wines produced from this grape has a slightly greenish hue to it. It is usually made as a still wine but it can also produce sparkling wine using either the Charmat-method such as Prosecco or the traditional Champagne-method. In addition to this, it also makes straw wine sometimes using botritis also know as the noble rot. This is an age-worthy wine but can also be had young. Many are crisp and vaguely citric with a high acidity. The two famous areas are in Marche (central Italy) and those are Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi with a medieval fortified city in the hills with clay and limestone soils and Verdicchio de Matelica that is a little closer inland. The Jesi zone is more elevated than Verdicchio de Matelica and gets more open to the influences of the sea nearby.

Except from the Marche-region where it is most famous it is also grown in Umbria and Lazio (two nearby locations in the centre of Italy).

Find the Marche Region map here. If you are interested in learning more about Italian white wine please check out our North/Central Italian White Wine Map by clicking here.

Characteristics

Verdicchio character is high acidity often with heavy flavors of lemon and grapefruit and lime. It is not very fruity or sweet, nor is it aromatic. It can exhibit aromas of mint, fresh lime when opened. Might have flavours of nutty bitter almond notes as well. Now things are changing to do a style with smaller yields that produces fuller flavoured grapes to offset the high acidity. 

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Famous regions

Provinces: Macerata and Ancona, Verdicchio de Matelica and Verdicchio dei Castteli di Jesi. Also grown in Lazio and Umbria.

In the both Verdicchio-regions the rule it to have minimum 85% Verdicchio with Trebbiano and Malvasia having to fill out the remainder.

Ageing

Depending on the vinification techniques and the vintage they range from fresh easy wines to wines rich in structure and capable of ageing for 10 years or more. However, most of it is best to be consumed within 2 years of the vintage dates.

Cultivation

It buds early and ripens relatively late. If it is too ripe it gives of grassy flavours. Early grapes might be overly bitter. Verdicchio grows fast and does well in well-drained soils of sand and limestone.

Heritage and DNA

A lot of theories and uncertainty lies behind this grape. It is claimed to be from the Italian region but DNA analysis have shown strong ties to Trebbiano and Greco. Actually, it was previously confused and mixed with Trebbiano.

Previously Verdicchio was heavily planted and in the 1980s more Verdicchio was planted than Chardonnay, Pinot noir, Sauvignon blanc and even Sangiovese.

Relevant wine tastings

We tried 5 Italian white wines and crowned a winner. You can find the recap here with some quiz questions or you would check out our section “Best Wines” for each winner of a wine tasting. This is a great way to find specific wines within a certain theme.

Reviewed Wines

In this section reviewed wines will be posted. If you want to make your own wine review and go through a wine questionnaire please click here.

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Grade 3/5 – La Calcinara – Clochard Marche Bianco 2017 made with 85% verdicchio and 15% chardonnay. Smoke on the nose, very very subtle flavours. Bonedry. Mid+ acidity. Less texture/body than how it looks. You can find better value for the 13£ overall. Their rosé “Mun” made with 100% Montepulciano was fantastic and won our roséwine tasting last year.

External links

http://www.wineguy.co.nz/index.php/glossary-articles-hidden/655-verdicchio-grape

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Verdicchio

https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-verdicchio+dei+castelli+di+jesi