February 2026 - Marche, Italy
Featuring:
Garofoli
Marche is one of the great underrated Italian regions. The region is nestled between the Adriatic Sea to the east and the Apennine Mountains to the west. It is rather central while still being out of the way - equidistant by car from Rome, Florence, and Venice. It is not anywhere near as frequented by tourists as Tuscany, Veneto, or Piedmont yet is rich with history, food, and - of course - wine.
The land is very reminiscent of other Central Italian regions; rolling hills dotted with a variety of different crops - olives, sunflowers, vineyards, and vegetables to name a few. Along the sea shore there are a number of beach towns where primarily Italians go to holiday. Restaurants serving Crudo, beach bars with Aperol Spritz, and sun chairs with umbrellas as far as the eye can see. Inland, the region quickly turns mountainous, with the Apennines defining the interior of the region. Here the flora is woods (oak, pine) mixed with Mediterranean scrub (laurel, myrtle, oleander). Grazing pastured animals remains the key agrarian driver in this area. For tourists, remote mountain-top towns are the key sight to behold.
I have read that some refer to Le Marche as “all of Italy in one single region” and think it is an apt description. There is something for everyone here and it is absolutely worth a visit if you’re ever able!
Varieties
Now the tour guide hat can come off and we can launch into wine! Marche is a fascinating region for viticulture and winemaking. The region produces primarily dry whites and reds, however some rosato, sparkling, and dessert wine is made here too. The signature grape would be Verdicchio, which is not widely cultivated anywhere outside of Marche. It means ‘little green one’ and refers to the small, green-hued grapes on the ripe cluster. It is grown in two areas - Verdicchio di Casteli di Jesi, located near sea level in the valley floor (west of Ancona), and Verdicchio di Matelica, in the mountains towards Abruzzo. Jesi wines tend to be riper and more fruit forward, while Matelica wines generally show more tension, acidity, and minerality. Jesi is much more prevalent and has higher production than the smaller Matelica region. Verdicchio wines show lovely notes of apple and pear, with a bitter green almond note atop a backbone of bright acidity, creamy mouthfeel, and some rich toasted nuttiness with age. The wines are affordable, but can be aged for some time making them amazing entry points into amateur cellaring.
The most lauded reds of the region are primarily centered around the Conero Regional Park - a small wooded grove along the coast. The reds from this area are Montepulciano (the same type grown in Abruzzo, to the south) and Sangiovese (native to Tuscany to the west). These reds have lovely red fruit, balsamic notes, and a silky mouthfeel complimented by fine tannins and good acidity. Rosso Conero comes from the smaller sub-zone and must be 85%+ Montepulciano, while Rosso Piceno is larger, tends to be a tad cheaper, and can be a more even balance of these two grapes (plus others at times).
The third grape worth an honorable mention is the lovely Lacrima di Morro d'Alba. This wine is cultivated only around the small town of Morro d’Alba and virtually nowhere else. It is named Lacrima due to the tendency of the dark black berries to rupture once they reach full ripeness, giving the appearance that the vine is crying tears of grape juice. (Lacrime = tears in Italian). The wines produced from this grape are entirely singular - the wine shows intense floral characteristics of rose and violet, with fruit notes of strawberry and cherry. It generally has a medium body with very fine and smooth tannins, making it incredibly easy drinking.
Climate
Marche’s climate makes for near perfect wine growing conditions. It is warm in the summer (but not blistering like Sicily or Calabria) and cold in the winter (but not snowy and freezing like Alpine regions). The climate resembles Tuscany and other central Italian regions.
What sets Marche (and Abruzzo) apart from these regions, though, is the wind. The geography of the Apennine mountains to the West and the Adriatic to the east allow intense prevailing winds to sweep across the region daily. This brings fresh air to the vineyards and helps moderate disease pressure while cooling down the vineyards at night. The winds allow for high diurnal (day to night) temperature swings, which allow for the vines to ‘shut down’ in the evening and helps preserve acidity in the vines. This makes for wines that can be bold and fully ripe physiologically while having a leaner acid profile and flavors that trend towards fresh rather than jammy.
Garofoli
The Garofoli story begins - as many things in Italy do - with Jesus. The hill town of Loreto is home to the Basilica della Santa Casa. This shrine has been the resting place of the Holy House (Santa Casa), which according to legend is where the baby Jesus was immaculately conceived and raised with Mary and Joseph. During the crusades, this structure was rescued by angels and flown to coastal Croatia for three years before being carried to this region in 1294. (The angels were kind enough to move it around a few more times the following years to make sure it was in a good spot for visitors.)
Naturally, this site became a famous pilgrimage site for Christians and tourists alike. These pilgrims, like the tourists of today, needed places to stay, eat, and drink. Antonio Garofoli owned an inn on the road just down the hill from Loreto. In 1871, he started making his own wine to sell to guests. Three decades later his son, Gioacchino Garofoli, expanded on his father’s vision by founding a commercial winery. The small winery experienced slow to moderate growth through the beginning of the 20th century. After WW2 finished, they began to export their wines across Europe with great success and experienced moderate growth and recognition.
To this day, the winery remains family owned and operated with a Garofoli family member at the helm. They farm 124 acres across the region and produce north of 150,000 cases per year. While they are significantly larger than many wineries we feature in the club, they are one of the Marche’s core producers. One of the guiding principles of this club has been to help showcase benchmark wines and producers. These would be, for example, labels that you can see on a shelf in a grocery store while you’re on vacation (because we know you buy 100% of your wine from Dogwood whilst at home), and be certain that this is a well-made bottle of wine, Garofoli is exactly that - family owned, but prolific enough to be spotted in the wild.
Carlo and Gianfranco Garofoli are 4th generation proprietors and winemakers. The estate produces primarily Verdicchio and Montepulciano, with smaller amounts of Sangiovese and Trebbiano Toscano. From these grapes they produce a wide range of wines - sparkling, white, rosato, and red. All their wines are criminally undervalued, representing fantastic value when compared to both other Marche wines or the hard-hitting regions elsewhere in Italy. Their top wines, particularly their ‘Podium’ Verdicchio and ‘Grosso Agontano’ Rosso Conero, are fantastic wines to purchase several of and enjoy as they develop over the years in your own cellar.
Garofoli, ‘Macrina’ Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC 2023
Garofoli makes several Verdicchios - sparkling and still. ‘Macrina’ is their mid-range still white, made from late-harvested grapes in the Jesi region. The vineyards are located at about 600-1000 feet above sea level, grown in clay soils with some sand and marine fossils. The wine is fermented in stainless steel without malolactic fermentation. It is aged in steel and concrete for roughly half a year before bottling.
The wine showcases classic Verdicchio notes on the nose - white flowers, apple, pear, and a touch of flinty minerality. On the palate the wine is crisp and acid-driven, with the unmistakable green-almond bitterness. This lightly bitter element, present in a lot of Italian whites, makes the wine a wonderful food pairing option as it adds another element of complexity. I find that wines with either salty or bitter notes (this has both) tend to make me want to come back to the food to refresh the palate, usually right after a sip of wine did the inverse for the food.
A classic pairing with Verdicchio would be seafood, cooked or raw (Marche is the birthplace of Crudo). Another dish that comes to mind is one served at a place of work long ago - Frisee salad with aged goat cheese and a light truffle-based vinaigrette.
Garofoli, ‘Piancarda’ Rosso Conero DOC 2020
The grapes from this wine come entirely from the Piancarda vineyard, which is Garofoli’s premier source of Montepulciano grapes. The vineyard is located adjacent to the Conero Regional Preserve, south of Ancona on a bluff over the sea. The vineyard is 700 feet above sea level and based on white limestone soil.
Piancarda is 100% Montepulciano, which is rare for Rosso Conero wines. It is fermented/macerated in stainless steel and aged 3,000 & 6,000-liter Slavonian oak casks for one year.
Like the Verdicchio above, the wine shows fantastic varietal character. The Montepulciano shines on its own, presenting a wonderful blackberry bramble note with some wild herbs, chalk, and a touch of baking spice. The wine is round with silky tannins. Acidity is present but not assaulting, and the fruit components on the nose come through on the palate.
As far as pairing, this would be a great wine with any grilled or roasted red meat, as well as vegetable stews. It also has soft enough tannins that it would be entirely enjoyable on its own, without any food!