Villa Bucci Castelli di Jesi Verdicchio 2024

This Verdicchio comes from the hills of the Marche hinterland, within the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC Classico Superiore appellation. The Villa Bucci estate farms its vines around Serra de’ Conti, Montecarotto and Ostra Vetere, not far from the Adriatic Sea. The clay-limestone soils and the sea breezes that cool the nights give the wine its finesse, freshness and mineral signature.

The grapes are harvested and gently pressed; only the free-run juice is kept. Alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless-steel tanks. The wine is then aged for six months on fine lees in large oak casks before bottling.

This wine reveals notes of Golden Delicious apple, ripe pear, yellow peach, citrus, white flowers, acacia, fresh almond, dried fruit, white pepper and wet stone. The palate is balanced and slender, with a supple yet well-defined texture, lively acidity and a saline thread that draws out the tasting. The persistent, delicately almondy finish retains a lovely sense of freshness.

Ah, Italy, what a beautiful hedonistic country, home of the Dolce Vita, but how hard it is to understand how its wine is organised! The key to understanding Italy's appellation system is to think of it as several small countries rather than a single uniform one, since each region has its own appellation system. Yet Italy can offer wine lovers a multitude of wines with varied and unique flavours and styles, as well as bottles full of surprise and creativity. Unfortunately it also produces a large quantity of soulless, characterless wines sold under their most useful and commercially renowned names: Pinot Grigio, Chianti, Valpolicella, Lambrusco, Prosecco and many others... But let us talk a little history: winegrowing in Italy goes back to the most distant antiquity and originated in Greece. The Etruscans are said to have introduced the vine, and Greek immigrants improved and changed the grape varieties, later calling the country "Oenotria": the land of wine. At the height of the Roman Empire, wine held an important place in daily life, and some regions already stood out for the excellence of their produce. The Romans also planted many vineyards across Europe, leaving an indelible mark of their conquests. Today Italy is the largest wine producer in the world, ahead of France. Italy is divided into three climatic zones. The northern mountains have a fairly harsh mountain climate. The plain in the "middle of the boot" has a continental climate with cold winters and hot, stormy summers. The "south of the boot" enjoys a Mediterranean climate with very hot, very dry summers, not forgetting the islands of Sicily and Sardinia. In short, Italy produces a great variety of wines thanks to its 200 different grape varieties, many of them native to its land. It is a country just as complex as its wines, and well worth exploring!