Serrapetrona, a town in the hinterland of Macerata, so hidden that one can only imagine it, because there is no photo which can explain its dimensions, its uniqueness and its richness born through tradition. The mountain has conserved its origins; the bitter cold of the winter and the Mediterranean sun of the summer have preserved nature in perfect equilibrium with man. The noble richness of Serrapetrona is expressed in the art of wine production.
THE PRODUCT
La Vernaccia di Serrapetrona is a sparkling red wine, the only one in the world which endures three fermentations. It comes from the native vine called “Vernaccia Nera” and was the first DOCG in Le Marche, recognized in 2003. It is one of the smallest DOCG in Italy. The denomination zone includes the entire municipality of Serrapetrona and in small parts two surrounding towns.
The vineyards are all situated towards the lower areas of the mountain at an altitude of 450 to 600m above sea level.
The peculiarity of this product is the production system which allows an over ripening of at least 50% of the grapes, all rigorously selected and hung in bunches collected in pairs.
The remaining grapes are also picked by hand and produced into wine at the grape harvesting period in October.
In January the over ripened grapes are pressed and added to the wine harvested in October, in this way the second stage of fermentation begins.
After a few months of resting, the wine is put in autoclaves for the third and last fermentation, one that is uses the long charmat method (or the Martinotti Method that produces sparkling wines, often sweet, distinguished by the fruity taste and obtained through watertight containers similar to the autoclaves).
The colour is a bright raspberry red and has a nose which offers hints of strawberries and the perlage is lively. The result is a sparkling, versatile wine, light but certainly not to be discounted.
There are two types of Vernaccia: dry and sweet. The naturally sweet, sparkling wine, has a subtle and persistent perlage and is ideal as a dessert, enjoyed together with a dry pastry, biscuit or sweet rustic bread.
WHY AZIENDA ALBERTO QUACQUARINI
Since 1958, the love for the earth, experience and tradition in the cultivation of the vines has nurtured the growth of the entrepreneurial enthusiasm shared by the Quacquarini family. They have 120 hectares of land, 35 of which are filled with the Vernaccia di Serrapetrona vines. The harvesting of the grapes, entrusted to expert hands, is one of the qualitative characteristics of the “Vernaccia nera”, a name that has now become associated with the producer and which counts on not more than 80 to100 quintals of Vernaccia grape for every hectare, having chosen a quality production in respect of commercial criteria. “La creatività e la passione per il lavoro fanno un’azienda” – “Creativity and the passion for work make a company” – this is the motto of the agricultural producer Alberto Quacquarini. To be a producer means providing a scope that meets the economic value: L’Azienda Quacquarini was destined to lay its roots in Serrapetrona, to give a voice to the Vernaccia di Serrapetrona and to share the passion for the work on the vines and in the wine cellar.