Ep. 1665 Verdicchio By Annie Replogle | Italian Grape Geek

The Italian wine podcast is the community driven platform for Italian winegeeks around the world. Support the show by donating at italian wine podcast dot com. Donate five or more Euros, and we'll send you a copy of our latest book, my Italian Great Geek journal. Absolutely free. To get your free copy of my Italian GreatGeek journal, click support us at italian wine podcast dot com, or wherever you get your pods. Welcome to the Italian Great Geek podcast. Join us as we explore personal stories of travel and tasting with Italy's must know grape for idols. Chart your own course with my Italian Great Geek journal, your personal tasting companion to accompany the series. Available now on Amazon with thanks to Colangelo and partners for their generous support with this project. Hi. I'm Annie Replogel, an Italian wine Ambassador with the Van Italy International Academy. I currently live in Rome, Italy and work in the Italian food, wine, and luxury travel sector. I've always been a fan of wine. My parents were lovers of wine and food, and I grew up with a family that hosted a lot of dinner parties, So wine was always on the table matched with really delicious meals that my mom would cook growing up, but my true love of wine first began over a decade ago when I had the ability to study abroad in Florence, Italy. And I took a wine course in Tuscany, and I was able to travel to vineyards across the region learning about wine, the art of deductive tasting. And then eight years ago, I decided to pursue this passion even further, and this led me to work in Tuscany, Italy, Australia's Borasa Valley, Margroan, Zealand, Lario Haspain, as well as Sonoma, Los Angeles, New York City, and now Rome. Italian wines, my true passion. So I'm so excited to be talking to you today about a few of my favorite grapes. Verdicchio is the first of the four grapes I'll be speaking about. Verdicchio is considered to be one of Italy's greatest white grapes. It's mainly found in the region of Le Marque, the central eastern part of Italy, with the Adriatic sea to the east and Appenine mountains to the west. The grape especially thrives in the towns of Yeezy and Matalica. Interestingly, its origins are linked to Vernese Vines. When the plague epidemic struck Le Marque's agricultural population between the fourteenth and fifteenth centuries, the region's countryside was completely depleted. Causing farmers from verona to migrate to the city of Yazie, bringing with them veronese vines, including Trebiano di suave. Over the centuries, the vine adopted and spawned Verdicchio. Currently, Trebiano di suave and Trebiano di Lugana, also known as Turbiana, are considered biotypes. However, the latter is genetically different from the other two. In addition to Lemarque, Verdicchio is commonly found in lugana, near the base of Lagorigarda. It's a vigorous grape that has a high production. It ripens very slowly and evenly. And although it's a late ripening grape, it's still able to retain its acidity, making it frequently play a supporting role in blends where acidity is key. It thrives in the limestone and clay soils of Yeezy and the fish soils of Matellica. When Verdicchio is grown at higher alt institutes like in metallic gut, it yields more pungent, floral, and citrus driven wines. And lower yields lead to more concentrated and age worthy expressions. Its high level of tartaric acid allows for long aging potential. And because the grape is a rather naked variety without very intense aromas or flavors, it's common to see a bit of lee's aging, which helps build texture and aromatic complexity. I absolutely love the scent of their dikyo. Picture notes of lemon zest, green apple, fennel, sweet almond, and white flowers. The acidity tends to be medium plus to high, and you'll tend to find a medium creaminess, this waxy oily texture shirt as the wines are usually aged in a bit of oak. Citrus notes and herbal elements like wintergreen or fennel are also common on the palate. There are so many diverse styles of Verdicchio, from dry to sweet, still to sparkling. Verdicchio from Matallica usually has a higher acidity and higher alcohol and is usually fuller in body with more minerality, making it have a greater potential for aging. The wines from Yeezy, however, tend to be a bit more delicate and floral. What I love about Verdicchio is it tends to pair really well with such a wide variety of foods. When from Yeezy, it pairs really well with Ollie de Alaskolana, which are breaded and fried olives stuffed with cheese, pork, beef, or chicken livers. It can also be enjoyed with pechekuro, raw fish, and brodetto, which is basically the marque version of the French Verdicchio from Matelica, on the other hand, pairs very nicely with Ville Carpacho and Vincis Graci, which is this delicious Marque style lasagna baked with a rich bechamel and innards. Some notable producers of Verdicchio include Umani Ranki, La Staca, Stefanuantanucci, and Buchi. I have such fond memories of Verdicchio. In fact, The first time I ever tried it was at my cousin's house. I have quite a big family and every year we gather for Christmas, and we're all about the food and the wine. And I'll never forget my cousin, bottle bottle of Vucci Verdicchio. And it was the first time I had ever tasted the grape, and I was immediately in love, and not only because of the flavor profile, but also the age worthiness. It was quite an old bottle, and I had no idea how beautifully a white wine could age. And I think because their Deepio has this beautiful acidity and complexity, and it develops even more complexity in-depth over time. It's such a fantastic wine to not only drink now, but to also put into seller and save for a Christmas day. A great part about Verdicchio is it's readily available in the market. I frequently go out to different wine shops in Rome, and the one around the corner from me called Bernin Bay has an excellent selection of Verdicchio, including some of the benchmark producers I shared with you. Listen to the Italian wine podcast wherever you get your podcasts. We're on Sunco out, Apple podcasts, Spotify, email ifm, and more. Don't forget to subscribe and rate the show. If you enjoy listening, please consider donating through Italian wine podcast dot com. Any amount helps cover equipment, production, and publication until next time.