Italy's Hidden Gems: Explorer Club (September 2022)

Featured Explorer Club Wines:

2021 Montecappone Vini | Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico | Marche, Italy

White peach, hawthorn and thyme on the nose. Medium-bodied with a crisp, elegant finish. Excellent as an aperitif or as a perfect pairing with spaghetti cacio e pepe. Also a delicious wine to drink with shellfish or seafood in general. (Importer)

Montecappone was founded in the late 1960s in Jesi in the Ancona region of Marche, Italy. In 1997 the Bomprezzi-Mirizzi family (owners of the famous wine shop in Rome called Enoteca Tuscolana) bought the property and immediately began renovating and expanding the winery. They also decided to replant almost all of the vineyards.

The Montecappone property currently stretches over 54 hectares of vineyards and 12 hectares of olive groves that are scattered amongst the hills and castles of beautiful Jesi. The focus in the vineyard centers on low yields, careful selection of grapes, and respect for this beautiful land. Mr. Mirizzi is intent on showcasing terroir through collaboration with all who work with him: consultants, agronomists, and wine experts. The wine is vinified and bottled in Montecappone's completely updated winery.

In his book Native Wine Grapes of Italy, Vinous Media's Italian expert, Ian d'Agata, says that that "Verdicchio is arguably Italy's greatest native white grape variety." Grown mostly in the region of Marche, Verdicchio is particularly well-suited to the maritime climate and clay of the Castelli di Jesi region, which is located in the northern part of Marche. (Importer)

2012 Cantina Sociale Coopertiva | Copertino Riserva | Puglia, Salento, Italy

Instagram: @cupertinum.cantina.copertino_

90 points Wine Spectator: "An intriguing red that's aging gracefully, with delicate notes of baked cherry and black fig fruit accented by dried thyme, incense and leather. Well-knit and focused, with light, silky tannins, this is still fresh thanks to its orange peel acidity and the tang of minerally iron and salt notes. Drink now through 2027."

From the winemakers: "Ruby red wine with garnet hints. Intense, full, rich and ethereal aromas of blackberry, plum, Mediterranean vegetation, ripe fruit and leather. Warm, rich and generous, with complex tones and flavors of almond and blackcurrant. Perfect with pizza, burgers, red sauce and meat pastas and ideal with barbecue."

In Apulia, in the center of Salento peninsula, halfway between Ionian Sea and Adriatic Sea, there is the territory of Copertino, in this red soil, vines produce strong and generous wines.

In 1935 thirty-six vine-growers founded the Social Winery of Copertino, with the aim of enhancing cooperation, producing directly wine from their grapes and trading autonomously. Today there are 300 proud members who confer their harvest. The area cultivated with vines is about 300 hectares (about 1,000 acres) and vineyards are treated with wisdom, which is the result of tradition and innovation, obtaining excellent wines, which make people enthusiastic.

Cupertinum mainly works with traditional grapes: Negroamaro, enological symbol of Salento, is the main one, as well as Malvasia nera, Primitivo, Malvasia bianca and other varieties acclimatized in these lands. The territory of Copertino DOC is a flat area from 30 to 60 meters above sea level which presents soils with a clayey structure, of different composition, placed over hard limestone or tufaceous. In the cellar, during vinification and refinement, Cupertinum’s goal is to highlight the character of the wine.

Explorer Club Up to $34.95/month

Two bottles each month for up to $34.95. Explore the world of wine while developing your palate by enjoying a monthly delivery of wines that represent value and authenticity, hand-selected by the experts at Mission Wines!