In general the winter was not rainy and it was quite mild, there was not much rain in springtime, after which there was a lot of sun and wind. It was extremely important to work well in the vineyards in order to avoid hydric stress for the vines. Harvest was early. All the producers of this region that belong to our portfolio are satisfied with the harvest and report extremely good quality of grapes and of the wines of this vintage.

MATELICA (Province of Macerata): Aroldo Belelli consulting agronomist/oenologist of Azienda Agraria Bisci (Verdicchio di Matelica DOC) “..this area is quite protected from the effects of drought as it is hilly and soils are deep. Grape yield was lower. The whites are T I complex, fat and have a lot of structure. The reds are lovely and full in the mouth. We started picking on the 15t h of September (13-14 days early).”

JESI (Province of Macerata): Paolo Armeni Cellar Master of Tenuta di Tavignano (Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore DOC, Rosso Piceno DOC):”The grapes were flawless without any mould problems. Ripening was slow. In 2007 it was dry, but less than 2003. This is one of the best harvests. The wines are fresh and have very good aromas. There was no yield decrease on the white varietals as the vineyards are irrigated (drip irrigation system). The summer was mainly hot and dry, but there was some rain. We started harvesting the white varietals (15 days early) at the beginning of September, we started picking the red varietals during the last week of August (3 weeks early, these vineyards are not irrigated and the soil is sandy). The forecast is good for 2007 wines..”

NUMANA (Province of Ancona): Azienda Agricola Le Terrazze – Aroldo Belelli consulting agronomist (Rosso Conero DOC, Rosso Conero DOCG):”…there was a lot of care in the vineyard, so that the grapes ripened properly…”Georgina and Antonio Terni owners of the estate: “The harvest was good…..We carefully selected the clusters during harvest and we harvested each vineyard more than once. We waited for the tannins to be ripe before we started picking…The clusters were splendid, and the results are extremely good…The wines are very well balanced. Excellent forecast for 2007 wines. We started picking Chardonnay, Merlot and Syrah at the end of August, beginning of September. We started picking Montepulciano after mid September. We finished around the 10t h of October..”

CIVITANOVA MARCHE: Elvio Alessandri – Azienda Agricola Boccadigabbia (Rosso Piceno DOC, Colli Maceratesi Ribona DOC, Marche IGT): “..the clusters were flawless at harvest. The skin of the berries was thick so that there was protection against the sun. Grape yield was lower than usual. The wines have beautiful colour, the colour in the reds is very intense, good alcohol percentage, good balance. The forecast for the wines is extremely good. Here on the coast we did not have many problems due to the drought…….We harvested 10-12 days early. We started with Pinot Grigio on the 8t h of August…”