Golden Oldies & Goodies: A Look at the Ageworthiness of Verdicchio
BY IAN D'AGATA |
Some grape varieties are almost too easy to grow for their own good. Pinot Grigio, for example, can, with reasonably competent winemaking, yield oceans of pleasant, easygoing wine with mass appeal, but the downside is that few consumers are willing to pay higher prices for the top Pinot Grigio estate bottlings, which are far better wines. Similar to Pinot Grigio, Verdicchio’s bane is similar in it, too, can produce very agreeable, immediately drinkable wines, even with high yields in the vineyard. Many Verdicchio wines poured from amphora-shaped bottles are actually far better than they have any right to be, given their less-than-serious glass vessels.
The problem, though, is that when consumers start associating a variety with cutesy bottles and low prices, it becomes difficult to convince them that the grape and the wines are capable of bigger and better things. This is unfortunate, because Verdicchio is actually one of Italy’s two or three best native white grapes, and one that can produce wines with both remarkable complexity and depth. And the best examples can last – and improve – for a decade or more.
Verdicchio vineyards close to the town of Poggio San Marcello near Jesi
Verdicchio - The Grape Variety
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Long overlooked and underrated, Verdicchio is starting to make a name for itself, not just for delicious, easily affordable site-specific whites, but for surprisingly ageworthy wines too.
