Each Saturday, David Brenner of Villasfor2 in Abruzzo selects a delicious, top-value 'Everyday Italian Wine' for you to try at home - or enjoy on your Abruzzo vacation !

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico. 2006. Colonnara
After last week's little debacle in the shape of a thoroughly dud Chianti Classico, it's been a relief to sample a thoroughly pleasurable bottle of one of Italy's best-known whites. Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi is available worldwide and instantly recognisable on the shelves thanks to its iconic bottle, shaped like an ancient wine amphora.

Before we taste, a little backgound. The lengthy name 'Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico' is designed to emphasise and guarantee the origins of this wine, because the verdicchio grape is widely-grown throughout Italy. The area around the town of Jesi - just a little inland from the port of Ancona on the northern coast of the Le Marche region - is the original area of production dating back many hundreds of years, and wine from this specific area is designated 'Classico'.

This particular bottle comes from the Colonnara winery in Cupramontana, a short distance away from Jesi, and is utterly typical of its type.

The colour is a pale gold and the initial bouquet gives you green apples, greengages and gooseberries, a first impression that's carried-over into your first mouthful, which has a deeply refreshing acidity. This is saved from the sourness that can typify a poorly-made Verdicchio by the pure, natural sweetness of the grape, which provides a perfectly-weighted counterbalance.

This particular Verdicchio has a sweet tartness that lingers on your tongue with just a little hint of spritz at the very end. Very good. Very moreish. Fine on its own, better I think with food. Excellent with pork, chicken or pasta in creamy sauces, where the acidity cuts through the richness; and of course just perfect with the seafood with which this particular stretch of Adriatic coastline is blessed.

At A Glance…

• This week's featured wine: Verdicchio di Castelli dei Jesi Classico
• Vintage: 2006
• Producer: Colonnara
• Designation: DOC
• Grape: 100% Verdicchio
• Strength: 12.5%
• Closure: Plastic cork
• This bottle cost: €4.85

Colonnara
The cantina will be celebrating its 50th birthday in 2009 and this Verdicchio is one of its cornerstone wines, first produced back in 1964. Today, the Colonnara list is a model of its kind. A dozen or so varietal reds and whites; a couple of blends; and both a sweet and a dry sparkler - all well-made, all keenly-priced. For after dinner, Colonnara has a two good Verdicchio Grappas and - for me - the jewel in its crown, the 'Sanctorum' Passito sweet dessert wine made from Verdicchio grapes that have been allowed to dry naturally on the vine and then matured in oak for 16 months. Check out the (very good) English version of its website here.

If you like Italian wine, bookmark this site for future weekly posts - and click on pictures in the text for larger images.

Next week: a new trend away from varietals in Italian wine - a Merlot/Sangiovese blend from Umbria for you to try at home - or on your Abruzzo vacation !

Abruzzo vacation, Everyday Italian Wine, Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi

This entry was posted on Saturday, April 26th, 2008 at 2:27 am and is filed under David's 'Everyday Italian Wine', Eating and Drinking, Vineyards. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.