Le Marche is a reg ion of contrasts. From the beaches south of Ancona , the capital city, throug h its flat plains and up into the Sibillini mountains that form a formidable gateway into Umbria to the west, this area is topographically diverse. And it’s thanks to those mountains that Le Marche is a superb wine-growing region. Cool breezes drift down from the Apeninnes, hitting warmer winds from the Adriatic, resulting in an equilibrium that creates excellent growing conditions. Cold, bitter winds can rush in from the Balkans to the east, which means that white grape varieties flourish to a greater extent than the reds – althoug h the area around Ancona especially (and around inland Ascoli Piceno) can produce some excellent red wines, such as our examples overleaf, produced mainly from the two predominant red grapes of the reg ion, Montepulciano and Sang iovese. The two centres of Verdicchio – the best-known of the Le Marche wines – are the hill towns around Jesi and the slig htly hig her and smaller zone around Matelica . We also have a fruity Sauvignon Blanc (from the Jesi zone) and a crisp Pecorino (not cheese!) from Offida in the Ascoli Piceno area .