Verdicchio

The Marche's signature white grape: crisp and lemony when young, with a telltale bitter-almond finish, and able to age into something richer and nuttier.

White
Home: the Marche, central Italy
Italy

At a glance

Also known as

Verdicchio Bianco
Trebbiano di Soave
Turbiana
Trebbiano di Lugana

Colour

White

Origin

Central Italy, most likely the Marche

Main regions

Marche: the Castelli di Jesi hills along the Esino valley, and the inland Matelica valley; smaller amounts in Umbria and Lazio

Varietal or blend

Mostly bottled on its own: Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Verdicchio di Matelica and their Riserva DOCGs must all be at least 85% Verdicchio. Also a minor part of many central Italian white blends.

Body & sweetness

Light to medium-bodied and dry; Classico Superiore and Riserva wines are fuller. Also made as sparkling wine and as a sweet passito from dried grapes.

Taste & style

Flavour: Lemon, green apple and peach with white flowers, then the bitter-almond twist that marks the grape. With age come honey, toasted almond and a hint of aniseed.
Style: High natural acidity and a slightly salty, mineral edge. Simple versions are for drinking young; good Classico Superiore and Riserva wines keep developing for years. The acidity also makes it a useful base for sparkling wine.
Serving: Chill to 10–12°C.

In the vineyard & winery

Growing: A late ripener, usually picked between mid-September and early October. It mutates readily, so there are many local clones and local names, and yields need keeping in check so the wine has enough flavour to balance its acidity.
Winemaking: Usually fermented cool in stainless steel to keep it fresh; some Riserva wines are aged in wood. Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva must age for at least 18 months before it is sold.

Food matches

Fish and seafood: starters, risotto, grilled or baked under a crust
Brodetto, the mixed fish stew of Ancona
Olive all'ascolana (fried, meat-stuffed olives from Ascoli Piceno)
Riserva with coniglio in porchetta (rabbit stuffed and roasted with wild fennel)

Notes

The name comes from verde, Italian for green, after the faint green-gold tint of the wine.
The official rules for Verdicchio di Matelica Riserva point to a notarial contract drawn up at Matelica on 12 January 1579 as an early written use of the name.
Verdicchio di Matelica became a DOC in 1967, the first in the Marche, and Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi followed in 1968. In 2010 the Riserva wines of both areas were promoted to DOCG, Italy's top tier.
The curvy amphora-shaped bottle long associated with Castelli di Jesi was the winning entry in a 1953 design competition held by Francesco Angelini of the Fazi Battaglia winery; the architect Antonio Maiocchi based it on ancient Etruscan vessels.
DNA studies have found Verdicchio to be either the same grape as, or a very close relative of, Trebbiano di Soave and Turbiana (Trebbiano di Lugana), grown around Soave and Lake Garda. The VIVC grape catalogue lists them as one variety; Lugana's producers treat Turbiana as a separate, later-ripening grape. Either way it is not the Trebbiano Toscano (Ugni Blanc) of everyday Italian whites.
Not to be confused with Verdeca, a late-ripening white grape of Puglia and Campania that some synonym lists also give Verdicchio-style names.