La Monacesca is an esteemed winery of the Verdicchio di Matelica DOP production area.
The 60-hectare estate has Roman origins – Marche was an important passage between the Adriatic and Rome – and the tenth century farm buildings (pictured) were built by Benedictine monks.
The valley in which the estate resides is of considerable importance in the Italian wine firmament: it is the only north-south valley of the Marche, protected from the Adriatic by the pre-Appenines to the east; and with the Appenines to the west and the Monti Sibillini to the south. With altitudes ranging from 400m to 700m there is good rainfall and significant temperature excursion: the perfect conditions for Verdicchio, one of Italy’s great white grapes.