Rosso Conero

The red wine DOC zones of the Marches are Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno and based chiefly on the Sangiovese and Montepulciano d' Abruzzo grapes, sometimes blended, sometimes not. The most important in terms of wine volume is Rosso Piceno, dominated by Sangiovese.

Rosso Conero, dominated by Montepulciano d' Abruzzo, has gained even more praise, thanks to the devotion to quality shown by  leading producers like Fattoria La Terraze. The zone covers the area on the slopes of the Conero massif south of Ancona.

Both Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno were habitually made to drink within two to four years, when they are persuasively round and fresh in flavour, though certain producers have made wines that age remarkably well from good vintages, sometimes for a decade or more.