MARCHE; a Flavour of Italy

Marche: a Flavour of Italy

Food and wine producers, from Marche, Italy, 

gathered recently in Pinocchio Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar 

in Ranelagh, Dublin, to showcase their best  food and wine. 

Pat Keenan went along.

Photos: Pat Keenan

      Some of the flavours and delights of the Marche region made their way into Pinocchio Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar in Ranelagh, Dublin, recently. Here are a few good Italian food contacts.

      Acqualagna Tartufi (Acqualagna Truffles) with thirty years experience from fresh truffles to products related to truffles, (puri, sauces, oils, dairy products, truffled honey and all kinds of truffle and food mixes) For more information and a full range of products: www.acqualagnatartufi.it
      Combine countryside with seaside in Marche. Add good food and wine to a panoramic view of the entire Metauro Valley and the spectacular Gola del Furlo (Furlo Canyon). Villa Tombolina is the perfect for a relaxing few days. www.villatombolina.com/
      Try some 
Italian cold meat cuts, prosciutto, salami, pancetta, goletta (pig's cheek), lonza or capocollo, -all with only salt, pepper and aromatic herbs added. For more details check out: www.fraticellisalumi.it/

      With soil and the land ideal for growing grapes like Bianchello, Sangiovese, Verdicchio and Chardonnay. Ferriera is ideally positioned to produce some great wines. When visiting the area, they can arrange vineyard and vegetable garden tours. Best book in advance.
www.aziendaferriera.it/en/

      T&C Tentazioni and Acqualagna's truffles is surrounded by woods of oak and holm oak trees, in the Apennine countryside around Mounts Catria and Nerone Acqualagna.  It accounts for over two thirds of Italy's white truffles.  For more information and some interesting recipes visit:
www.truffle.it/

      Mascia Delicatezze is a homemade range of traditional Italian baking. 
Only Italian ingredients, local flour, spices and, only extra virgin olive oil - no fats, marge or butter, no food colouring no artificial preservatives - that balanced Mediterranean diet.
For more information and to SHOP online
www.masciadelicatezze.com

      Bruscia wines are produced by a family-run farm , almost 50 hectars of land  growing certified organic grapes. Their white wine is made predominantly from the Bianchello or “Biancame” grape, other varieties are cultivated include: Malvasia, Famoso and Incrocio Bruni. 
For their reds  the predominant grape is Sangiovese and other varieties include Montepulciano, Lacrima di Morro,  Cabernet, Merlot and Centesimino.
For more information and a listing for all their wines, visit
www.brusciavini.it

Mauri Maurice, in the hills of Montefeltro, produce a wine whose recipe, they say, "was found between the memories of grandparents."  Great with cakes, cookies, chocolate and on bostrengo (typical sweet from Marche).
For more information www.maurimaurizio.it

     Cantina Terracruda: DOC wines of the Marche in the province of Pesaro and Urbino.
Pergola Rosso DOC is a small region within Le Marche.  The wine of this region is made from Vernaccia di Pergola (otherwise known as Aleatico), and surprises many people by having a quality that is both sweet and dry at the same time.  Many compare it to the Lacrima variety.
Lubaco is aged for at least one year in large oak barrels and following fining in the bottle,  is matured in oak barrels for 14-18 months and refined for at least 6 months in the bottle.  The result is a full bodied red wine with an intense and complex aroma. I loved the peppery full with sweet tannins taste leaving a round aftertaste. More information: www.terracruda.it

     Starting in 1930 the farm Mariotti has produced red and white wines, Bianchello DOC - Sangiovese DOC Colli Pesavento - Marche IGT Bianco - Marche Rosso IGT - Spirits of bianchello - mono-varietal extra virgin olive oils and grappa. For more information and a full product list click on: www.cantinemariotti.it

For Italian cooking classes in Dublin contact:

The Italian School of Cooking www.flavourofitaly.net/en/content/6-cookery-school

For food and wine centered tours in Italy contact:

Flavour of Italy Travel. www.flavourofitaly.net/en/content/60-travel

For a real taste of Italian cooking visit:

Pinocchio Italian Restaurant and Wine Bar, Luas Kiosk, Ranelagh, Dublin 6   www.flavourofitaly.net/content/8-pinocchio-restaurant