MATELICA (Province of Macerata): The climate of 2011 was optimal till the whole of July. The weather during the month of August was hot and windy. The weather during the harvest was good.

Aroldo Belelli consulting agronomist/oenologist of Azienda Agraria Bisci (Verdicchio di Matelica DOC, Marche Rosso IGT):”..although the temperature range between night and day was not very high, there were no diseases due to the dry climate. Consequently the varietal characteristics of the grapes were intact as no oxidation process took place. The aromatics were greatly favoured. The yield was lower, especially the grape/must yield. The wines during this first phase are very good, they are very elegant, clean and clear, with good aromatics. The alcoholic fermentation lasted for a double amount of time in comparison to previous vintages, but it was regular and correct (there was no mould on the grapes nor harmful enzymes) thanks to the absence of oxydation processes. 2011 is a vintage for “selection” wines such as Verdicchio di Matelica “Fogliano”….”

JESI (Province of Macerata): The winter was cold and it snowed a few times. The rainfall during the springtime was average. The weather was warm in April. In July it was quite rainy. In August and in September it never rained, but the vines had a good water supply. The grapes ripened two weeks early.

Giulio Piazzini Cellar Master of Tenuta di Tavignano (Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC, Rosso Piceno DOC):”…drip irrigation was utilised a few times in August..We started picking at the beginning of September and we finished during the second half of October. The condition of the grapes was good, there were no botrytis infections and there was no dehydration of the clusters. We harvested each parcel of the vineyards separately. We picked in the areas with less water reserve first and we let the grapes on the vines longer where there was a good water supply. Grape yield was lower this year (8 tons/hectare for the whites and 6 tons/hectare for the reds). We carried out a prefermentative pellicular maceration in the press for the Verdicchio Riserva “Misco”. The forecast is good, the quality of the wines is excellent. 2011 is a good vintage and it is not comparable to another one…”

NUMANA (Province of Ancona): There was a lot of rain in the winter and in the springtime. The weather during the summer was very warm. From the second half of July till the end of September it did not rain.

Azienda Agricola Le Terrazze – Georgina Terni owner of the estate (Rosso Conero DOC, Conero DOCG, Marche IGT): “…the vines standing on sandy soil and the young vines suffered most. Chardonnay and Pinot Noir did not have any problems as these varietals ripen early, they were harvested at the end of August/beginning of September. There were more problems for Merlot (harvested during the first half of September), while Syrah managed better…Luckily the temperature got lower and it rained at the beginning of October so that the grapes could complete the ripening process…The Montepulciano vines (the harvest took place at the end of September), from which we make Rosso Conero Praeludium, did well as the vines are 15 years old and have a deep root system…We harvested the grapes for Rosso Conero on the 5th of October and we finished harvesting the grapes for the Riserva wines on the 19th of October…The wines are good, but it is still early in order to express an opinion….We carried out shorter maceration on the skins this year…We experimented vinifying a part of the riserva wines in barriques: our oenologist is enthusiastic! 2011 is an unusual vintage……”

CIVITANOVA MARCHE (Province of Macerata): It rained a lot till July. In August it was warm and then the weather was very dry.

Elvio Alessandri owner of Azienda Agricola Boccadigabbia (Rosso Piceno DOC, Colli Maceratesi Ribona DOC, Marche IGT):…..The vineyards did not suffer. We used drip irrigation in the vineyard in Macerata and in the one in Civitanova we did not deleaf the vines and the climate is milder (as Civitanova is on the Adriatic coast). We started to pick on the 17th of August (Chardonnay) and we finished with a late harvest of Sauvignon (we left the clusters to dry on the vines). The grape yield was lower this year. The wines look good, the whites are fresh (we harvested early), the reds have a good colour. 2011 is a good vintage. We made a Pinot Noir that is fruity as if it had been grown at an altitude of 500 meters (above sea level)…… ”

PERGOLA (Province of Pesaro and Urbino): The winter was quite cold with more snow than usual. There is a small ski run on a mountain near Pergola which stayed open till March (it normally closes earlier). In the springtime the rainfall was average. Then it was dry from May till the 10th-11th of September. In September there was little rain.

Stefano Tonelli of Villa Ligi (Pergola Rosso DOC, Pergola Passito DOC)”….the grape yield was lower this year. The harvest was difficult to manage and we had to carry out up to two grape samplings in the vineyards a day (we usually carry out samplings every 4-5 days) in order to decide when to pick. The wines are very concentrated and rich, the alcohol strength is slightly higher….We are very satisfied with the quality of the wines….”