Americans do not flock to the coast of the Marche like they do the Italian Riviera, but they should. It is a magnificent coastline of both wild and developed beaches that are among the most beautiful on the Adriatic. You can sit at seaside restaurants and sample the local brodetto – a broth featuring the local small fish that swim just off the shore – which varies in style and fish selection as you travel up and down the coast.

And what are you drinking with the Brodetto? Verdicchio, of course. It’s better known than most Italian whites, and yet still wildly off the radar and underappreciated here in California.

Part of that, of course, is the “super market” effect: most of the Verdicchio that is imported is simply crisp, steely and neutral flavored. Its purpose is to line supermarket shelves with a bit of alcoholic content. Serve with ice cubes.

Then there is real Verdicchio, and this is the wine you should get to know. Today we offer the wines of one of our favorite producers, La Distesa. We love them because their approach in their small vineyards is to treat them like a natural garden, and these are vines that grow among fava beans and wild mint. We also love how they make their wines: according to deep traditions. This is not steely and neutral wine, but wine that is allowed to breathe in large wooden casks, allowing layers of flavor to develop.

San Francisco, of course, is the home of Cioppino, our own local version of brodetto. Order some for a home meal – or better yet make it yourself! - and try with a bottle of Verdicchio for an Adriatic match made in heaven

La Distesa Marche Bianco Terre Silvate 2021 - $24.99
Verdicchio & Trebbiano grapes is made with native yeast fermentation in stainless steel and concrete vats. The wine rests on its lees for five to six months before bottling. A small amount of S02 is added at press and bottling, around 40mg per liter between the two additions.

La Distesa Marche Bianco Nur 2022 - $34.99
Unfiltered Trebbiano, Malvasia & Verdicchio made with the must is fermented with the skins in open vats for about a week and a half. After racking, the fermentation ends in French oak barrels for about a year.

La Distesa Marche Bianco Gli Eremi 2021 - $39.99
100% Verdicchio. The grapes undergo a soft pressing then fermentation and aging takes place in old oak barrels (550, 750, 1000L) for about a year. A small amount of S02 is added at press and bottling, around 40mg per liter between the two additions.