Collestefano
VISIT THIS PRODUCER'S WEBSITE
LOCATE ON GOOGLE MAPS
A CREAM IMPORT SELECTION
Country of Origin: Italy
Location: Verdicchio di Matelica
People: Marchionni Family, Owners | Fabio Marchionni, Winemaker
Viticulture: Certified Organic
Items
The Marchionni family came to the Collestefano hillside region in Central Marche in 1960, and worked hard in order to purchase the vineyard in 1978. Owners Benedetto and Anna, with son Fabio, are still at the helm, producing refreshing, crisp whites and rosatos from native Italian grapes.
Fabio graduated from oenology school and studied in Germany before becoming head winemaker. In 1998, he created his first Verdicchio di Matelica Collestefano, which has since become their signature wine. They also make a rosato from mostly Sangiovese and a traditional-method sparkling wine from Verdicchio grapes.
The Marchionni are passionate about their land. Their farming practice has been certified organic since 1995, and they grow their vines as part of a larger polycultural system of beans and greens. The care that is taken in farming extends to vinification: all grapes are hand-harvested. They use traditional methods to make their wines, and strictly limit their use of sulfur dioxide.
Located on the border of Umbria, Collestefano enjoys a temperate climate from its proximity to the sea, as well as significant diurnal shifts. Its 450-meter altitude improves grape quality and concentration. The resulting wines are lively, bright, and crisp.
Vinous Media by Antonio Galloni 7/2015
"The 2014 vintage was a difficult one and even Collestefano, in my view one of Italy’s best wine estates, had difficulty in turning out wines of their usual stellar quality level. Simply put, this estate's Verdicchio di Matelica is normally one of the country’s 25 best white wines. Owner Fabio Marchionni is an immensely talented individual who manages to raise a grape variety and wine to a level few others can; his Verdicchio di Matelica is not just mineral and steely (perhaps partly a result of Marchionni having studied and worked in Germany), but ages extremely well too (ten years plus). The estate now also produces a very fine sparkling wine and a lovely Rosato. Fabio’s arrival in 1998 (exactly twenty years after his family bought the estate) coincided with the upsurge in the quality of the estate’s wines, but it’s noteworthy that his parents Benedetto and Anna had started organic farming already in 1995, long before it became fashionable in Italy. Collestefano’s success is based on a recipe common to all the great wine estates of the world: a great cool-climate terroir (Collestefano is located at 1800 feet above sea level near Castelraimondo), a great grape variety (Verdicchio) and a talented, passionate family."
Social Media
Twitter: @Collestefanobio
Collestefano Facebook