Blog: Marche | Wine region

The Marche is a region steeped in history, but to this day still a piece of 'undiscovered Italy'. This is because their level of awareness is far behind Tuscany and Piedmont due to low marketing activities - the 'Marches' are not yet a 'brand'. The name of the region 'Marche' undoubtedly derives from the German, it was already used for individual areas in the past. Its provincial character, especially of the southern Marche, has persisted until recent history. At first sight, all the points mentioned are apparent drawbacks, but this has also spared the Marche from some of the unpleasant currents of modern times. The winemaker Simone Capecci is already the fourth generation to run the San Savino winery. He builds on the life's work of his father and his ancestors: The care and development of viticulture in the hills of Ascoli Piceno. Simone Capecci therefore devotes himself exclusively to the indigenous grape varieties Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Pecorino and Passerina.

From Startups..
The money of the industrial north has properly plowed up some regions of Italy, such as the Maremma, in the south of Tuscany. Entire landscapes have been bought up, transformed, given new vineyards, wineries and cellars. Almost all the well-known giants of the Italian wine scene opened branch wineries there. The consequences were serious (not only) for vineyard prices, because they literally exploded as a result. Moreover, the instant wineries that emerged in this way are not based on a local winemaking tradition - they are pure fads. The popularity of a region is the factor that determines how sought-after the vineyards are for capitalist projects.

...and traditional winegrowers
The inhabitants of the Marche, the Marchegiani, are predominantly peasant and lead a life in which frugality is considered a great value. High flights are foreign to the people here, they prefer the healthy mediocrity. Nevertheless, there is a fear that the acquisition of value realms could become unaffordable. For young winemakers, this is an important cost factor if they want to acquire or lease one or two additional vineyards. No winery owns only top vineyards by nature. It takes a lot of tact to ask those who have become too old or infirm whether they would give up their vineyards.

There are many emotions attached to the old vineyards and in the end it is not only a question of price. The acquisition of new vineyards and the associated pricing are easily upset by overly fat wallets from Italy's industrial north. This form of money-making is new to the Marche and threatens centuries-old principles. Young winegrowers who come from local winegrowing families can easily calculate that there will never be enough money in wine to refinance the new prices of the Marche vineyards.

Unless one belongs to those 'winegrowers' who come to the Marche with various side incomes from industry, pharmacy, insurance or banking. Traditional wineries do not have such funds and depend solely on the sale of their products. One quickly notices that, in addition to the long-established winegrowing families, more and more competitors from outside are appearing in the wine business of the brands. A form of competition for whom a vineyard is merely a new investment and the wine market is a kind of stock exchange - into which you can buy with your checkbook. - Gerardo [TS05/23]