This month’s Italy magazine includes a fascinating article on why, if you are a food connoisseur, you should try Le Marche cheese. The rugged mountains to the South West and the rolling hills of the interior are home to flocks or “Gregge” of sheep and goats and herds or “mandrie” of cows. The abundance of high quality grazing and the passion and dedication of Marchigiana farmers are an award winning combination.
These cheeses should be accompanied by Le Marche’s fine wines. Pair the ricotta or young pecorino cheese with fresh zesty white passerina from Acoli Province, try a goats cheese with wines using the “Pecorino” (yes, the same name as the cheese!) grape from near Offida. This is a soft honey and vanilla toned structural white.
You should also try Rosso Piceno, a blend of Sangiovese and Montepulciano from the Southern and Central provinces, with medium aged pecorino or pecorino di fossa (cave aged) from the Beltrami farm. Rosso Piceno is a complex wine that ranges from robust oak aged examples like “Nostru Vecchiu” from producers such as Saputi to the multi layered organic Forca from cantina Centanni.
The stronger crusty cheeses such as Pecorino stagionato and vecchio ghiotto or the more mature raw cheeses of Fontegranne deserve a the punch of a full bodied mouth filling Rosso Conero from the DOCG wine growing area near Ancona. Push the boat out and trat yourself to an Agontano a Conero Riserva from Garofili cantina. #cheese #Italy #wine #formaggio #vino #marche #italia #foody #foodie
