Colli Pesaresi Wine

Colli Pesaresi is a DOC covering white, red and rose wines from the hills of the northern Marches wine region in central Italy. Both blended and varietal wines are produced under this title, as well as early-drinking novello and cellar-worthy riserva styles for the reds.

The Colli Pesaresi varietal wines are made from Italy's most widely planted wine grapes, white Trebbiano and red Sangiovese, as well as the far less-famous Biancame (Bianchello by another name). This rather pedestrian choice of vine varieties is all too often reflected in the wines made here, whose interest falls far short of that held by red Conero or white Verdicchio di Castelli di Jesi 30 miles (50km) to the south.

The DOC's redemption comes from a rather unlikely source, in the form of Pinot Noir (known as Pinot Nero here). Pesaro lies at a latitude of 43 degrees north, making this one of Pinot's most equatorial incarnations (in Europe, at least). Its relative success here is due to the cooler climate which Marche enjoys, freshened by cold winds blowing across the Adriatic from the Balkan states. That said, this northern end of Marche has a more continental climate than the south, making for hotter summers which pushes most clones of Pinot to their limits. The success of the variety in Burgundy, Central Otago and the cooler Californian AVAs suggests its preference for a continental climate, so cooler vintages of Colli Pesaresi Pinot Noir may well offer excellent value for money.

The DOC's named Focara sub-region specializes in Pinot Noir, and the use of its name is restricted to the red blended wines and the varietal Pinot Nero and Pinot Nero Riserva wines. This indicates that Burgundy's famous red variety is doing well here on the east coast of Italy, if only in one small area.

The Colli Pesaresi have two named sottozone (sub-zones), Focara and Roncaglia: the former specializes in red wines, the latter in whites.