In the center of Italy is the Marche region, an area I have always wanted to visit because the wines are so incredibly beautiful! I had the pleasure of virtually attending a tasting with this winery which transported me in the glass to Italy, one of my favorite countries to visit. The winery is based in a village in the south of Marche region, in the center of Italy on the east coast. They’re about 5 miles from the Adriatic Sea, which gives the wines beautiful influence. The family is made of three brothers and one sister, and is a multi-generational family winery… which we know I love!

Il Conte Villa Prandone is this winery and they grow and produce Pecorino and Passerina for the whites and Montepulciano and Sangiovese for the red grapes. This is very typical from this area and honestly I have had one Passerina before this so I was so excited to try another one as well as other wines from this winery. They are in the vineyards and cellars during harvest day and night and so much care and craft goes into these beautiful wines.

We tasted the Navicchio, which is 100% Pecorino, the name of the hill where the grapes are grown. This hill is besides the sea and the mountain and is south facing so it get the sun all day long which the grapes love. The sea brings in a fresh breeze and is an important part of the grape growing. This wine spends 1/2 it’s time in barrel and the other 1/2 in stainless steel which gives layers of complexity, freshness, and true Marche essence. You’ll see this is typical pecorino it has elegance but also you’ll find minerality from the clay soils and great acidity! This wine has great balance between fruit and spice and if you’re a vermentino lover or a sauvignon blanc lover… you’ll want to give this grape and wine a try! I tend to love these whites, they’re so fresh and fun and enjoyable and something I love to break out at the holidays or even give as a gift to a wine lover.

Up next we tasted the Donello, which is a Marche Sangiovese and Donello is the name of the hill. This is a historic grape for this area like most of central Italy and takes about 15 days of maceration before spending 6 months in cement vats. This is the “signature” of this winery, you’ll find a brightness in these wines thats unmatched with acidity and freshness. It has a charm and a spiciness than other Sangiovese’s you’ll taste in the region it’s attractive and playful and ripe. This is a wine to be enjoyed young, so no need to age this luckily you can drink it now and enjoy it anytime! This is really such a good wine for anytime but the holidays especially because of its easiness and balance of fruit and spice.

After we tasted another red, the Marinus which is a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese and their flagship wine. This wine won #60 on Wine Spectator’s top 100 which is awesome, and really helped put this winery on the map. After so much hard work this is such an achievement, since they only produce about 15-18,000 bottles a year. This wine spends time in barrique that’s a second cycle barrique so it does not get affected by the aggressive wood. It spends time in a barrique cellar, where the barrels are never used more than three times. It’s a powerful wine with present tannins that give a touch of balsamic note to this wine. There is great balance in this wine with bright acidity and beautiful fruit. This is a wine with a lot of character and a lot to love!

These wines are ideal for gastronomy which in Italy is when you’re drinking wine most. Grilled foods including meats and vegetables work well with these wines of course, along with some seafood especially a nice fish and some grilled polenta (my favorite). 

We had a few more wines to go during this tasting, including the Zipolo which is a bit unusual and is a blend with merlot added on top of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. The merlot is a small percentage but it changed the wine completely adding more elegance and character. This wine is aged in a second cycle barrique as well and is great for an American palate or someone that’s newer to Italian wines. The small presence of merlot gives it a bit more of an “international style” which makes it attractive if you’re giving gifts this holiday season to wine lovers who love Italian or California wines. It’s such an attractive wine and I highly recommend this one due to its acidity and nice dark fruit notes.

We then tasted the Lu Kont which is a favorite of many and 100% Montepulciano! This is a very well known wine all over Italy and this grape gives a lot of structure in the wine and in wines in general. This wine needs time to open, so maybe sip some pecorino while you wait about an hour for this to open. The name is to honor the founder of the winery also known as the count or the lord who had the land back in the day. This wine spends 15 months in barrique then 15 months into concrete which gives the wine layers of complexity and finesse. The vineyards are over 30 years old so this wine has limited production and makes an incredible gift for the Italian wine lover. It’s more of an extravagant wine with still a signature freshness thats from the Marche area and is ideal for so many palates.

The last wine IX Prandone is the wineries “little gem” with a much smaller production. It’s 100% Merlot and their grandfathers vision to make a merlot from this area. This name honors the village where they are and pays homage to this great area and the start of the winery. This is a super dark wine with cherries and chocolate and it has such a velvety feel. This is ideal for the holiday season as it just screams “happy holidays” and is a wine that should be celebrated with good family or friends. The clay soils here add some freshness to this deep wine which is very attractive on the palate.

If you’re looking to explore Marche in your glass until you get to Italy and visit in person, I absolutely recommend this winery! Il Conte Villa Prandone is a gem and a winery you won’t want to miss. Always remember eat what you like and drink what you love, please pair responsibly!

Want to learn more, stay tuned for some holiday pairings coming to Instagram and Youtube this December!