Region: Marche

Zone:

Colli Pesaresi DOC

Colli Pesaresi DOC stretches from the border of Romagna, in Marches in the northwestern corner, along the hills around the rivers Foglia, Metauri and Cesano. From there onwards, towards the coastal towns of Pesaro and Fano in the West, by the Adriatic Sea, to the West, a little past the unusual medieval Urbino, to the Apennines, comprising a total of 33 municipalities.

The wines of Colli Pesaresi are often linked with the composer Gioacchino Rossini, born in the coastal town of Pesaro. It is believed that Rossini was under a lot of pressure from his manager when he was writing the famous overture of the opera “The Barber of Seville” and that the only thing that helped him was thee red wine made from Sangiovese grapes, in Colli Pesaresi, produced in the Novilara vineyards.

The first historical testimony of the Sangiovese grape is found in a book published in 1596 by the professor of botany Andrea Bacci, of the University of Rome, who was also a doctor of Pope Sixtus V (1521-1590). Bacci describes the “excellent wines from Fano, especially those from Malvasie and Trebulane, altogether good wines from the vineyards and villages near Pesaro, such as Colle Imperiale. All are exported in large quantities to Venice.”

The scientist referred to the red wine Sangiovese dei Colli Pesaresi and the white wine Bianchello del Metauro.

The beautiful harmony was somehow overshadowed by the late 1960s conflict between Marche and Romagna winegrowers from the Sangiovese grape. Romagna growers argued that the wine from Colli Pesaresi could not possibly be recognized as a DOC wine because Romagna had the exclusive right to use the name Sangiovese. The long dispute ended with Pesaro winemakers winning the battle in 1972, after proving that Sangiovese had been cultivated in that area for centuries.

Paradoxically, Marche Marches winemakers could prove that this variety was, in fact, of Tuscan origin, which was supported by the Italian plan expert, Professor Girolamo Molon, who, in 1906, already wrote that “this variety comes from Chianti .”

Previously, the red wine of Colli Pesaresi was known as Sangiovese dei Pesaresi, and the zone included then only one red wine. Currently, the appellation extended to 9 DOC types, including rosé (Rosato), red and white types. A curiosity is the white wine Colli Pesaresi Roncaglia, made primarily from red Pinot Nero grapes.

The wines of Colli Pesaresi are quite qualitative and with great potential.

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