To find out I travelled to Italy. I had already tasted the wines here in Romania. Correctly and well done, from different sort of grapes. Local varieties. Very interesting! Already a good reason to promote them. But why should you choose these wines, replacing all other wines you got used to drinking or other well-known Italian brands?

Le Marche is an Italian region on the shores of the Adriatic Sea, known for professional for Verdicchio, the grape variety most often met.

Instead, at Fontezoppa I discovered other varieties. Ten in total, mostly local: Ribonna, Passerina, Pecorino, Maceratina, Verdicchio, Incroccio Bruni, Vernaccia Nera, Sangiovese, Pinot Noir, Cabernet Sauvignon. The wines are made from single varietal or they are blended, in order to highlight the area’s potential as well as the winemaker Giovanni Basso’s hand. The total surface is 35ha split in two locations.

In Serrapetrona, a village with one of the highest life expectancy in Italy, above 10% of the inhabitants is over 100 year old. They say it’s because of the water. I think it’s because of the wine. Here is the area where Vernaccia Nera is planted on 20ha. This might be one of the reasons to drink the wine made from these grapes in every form: fresh in Carapetto, aged in oak for one year in Falcotto or for 18 months in Carpignano and also in the bottle in Moro. Let’s not forget the sparkling wine from the same grape. The perfect match with a specially designed wine bag.

The idea of this wine bag came last summer at Feeric Fashion Week. Out of necessity, of course. A lady needs to have in her purse a bottle of sparkling wine and two glasses. And when we speak about sparkling wine, ice is mandatory. How could you put ice inside a purse and still use it for its initial purpose? Which is to carry everything you might need …and something more. We have to admit a sparkling is suitable anytime, especially in the morning with breakfast, to start the day well. I transformed the idea into the real thing together with Andreea Onață, the designer from Caresta Bags (www.carestabags.ro). Andreea knew immediately which material is suitable to create a waterproof support. We wouldn’t want melted ice to drip over our personal belongings. We were right and the first orders have already come in.

Let’s go back to the winery, to the passion the wine is made with and most of all, to the passion with which the owner, Mose Ambrosi, talks about it. He is truly someone who loves the wine and is present at every occasion that gives him the opportunity to present it. He was with us every step of the way. He showed us every parcel of vineyard starting with Serrapetrona, the area of Vernaccia Nera with a specific soil which gives the wine its mineral character until Civitanova/Montegranaro, the place where white wines become salty because of the sea. We have been delighted to be the witnesses of two verticals, one of Ribonna from the grapes with the same name and the other one for Moro, a wine obtained from Vernaccia Nera and maturated 18 month in barrels. Both wines told us about the potential of the terroir and how each wine area has something particular and special to offer.

Time was too short to sample everything. So we promised ourselves to return at the beginning of autumn for the harvest. Thank you Răzvan Exarhu, Iulian Comnănescu, Cosmin Tudoran, Bogdan Mustățea, Violeta Popa and I look forward to meeting you all again at “vendemia”.