Piccolo Crocifisso 2025

At 30, Nico Speranza left a corporate job in Milan to pursue winemaking in the countryside—a decision he says many are making these days. Set among the steep hills of Monsampietro Morico in Le Marche, the winery was founded by his grandfather, Domenico Speranza. Nico’s goal is simple: to make “conscientious wine, the most natural way possible, without ulterior motives and shortcuts.” His cuvées are inspired by poets, often from Piedmont, and lyricists, such as Nick Cave, reflecting his poetic approach to winemaking. With an annual production of just a few thousand bottles, Nico's wines evolve each year, using local Le Marche varieties like Sangiovese, Montepulciano, Pecorino, and Incrocio Bruni (Verdicchio-Sauvignon), as well as some Petit Verdot. Sustainability is key, with geothermal and solar energy powering the winery.
Nico works organically, using minimal copper to protect the fruit. He experiments with microoxygenation, extended lees ageing, and even vinifies Sangiovese as a white wine. In the cellar, he adds only a small amount of sulphur (15 mg/l) at bottling. His vines are planted close together to maximise ripening, and everything is done manually in the vineyard.

An IGT Marche Bianco made from equal parts Pecorino and Trebbiano, and a splash of Incrocio Bruni, all picked in September. In the cellar the grapes are destemmed and gently pressed. Before fermentation, the must is deliberately exposed to air by pumping it over, a technique called hyperoxidation. The compounds that would otherwise brown the wine later drop out early, leaving a naturally stable wine that needs less intervention down the line. It then rests for nine months in steel before bottling in July 2026, with only 20 mg/l of free sulphur added at bottling (35 mg/l total). Just 6,000 bottles were made.

Pale straw with a green glint. The nose is bright and crunchy, with lemon, grapefruit pith and green apple, a little white blossom and the herby lick of sage and fennel that Pecorino does so well. The palate is light on its feet and zippy, with juicy pear and citrus carried along by Pecorino's naturally high acidity, finishing clean and salty.

Olive all'ascolana, Fritto misto, Linguine alle vongole

Bang in the middle of Central Eastern Italy, Le Marche sits somewhat unfairly in the shadows of its regional neighbours Tuscany and Umbria. With the beautiful Adriatic coast to the east and the rugged Apennine mountain range to the west it brings a range of soils, indigenous grapes and microclimates. Moving inland from the coastal chalk and limestone it boasts a number of DOC/DOCGS mixed between reds and (more numerous) whites. On the red side the ubiquitous Montepulcianco and Sangiovese dominate in wines like Rosso Conero and Rosso Piceno whereas on the white side Pecorino, Bianchello, Passerina and certainly the star of the show Verdicchio, might even consider Le Marche their spiritual home.