Crespaia, a small Marche novelty

This small Marche estate was included in the last edition of our Ultimate Guide to Italian Wine (2016). And we did so because its owner, Rossano Sgammini, is sincerely passionate about wine and invested in it his own money, earned in another sector, to fulfill his dream to becoming a good winemaker. He did this not by investing is easy international grape varieties but in a little-known local wine, Bianchello del Metauro DOC, although he also planted some Sangiovese.

During our visit, we were given a tour of the estate by its enologist, the young New Zealander Shayle Lambie-Shaw, who loves Pinot Noir, while its chief consultant is Aroldo Bellelli, a well-known enologist.

Crespaia was founded in 2001 in Fano, in the province of Pesaro and Urbino, more precisely on a soft hill near the sea that has an almost totally tuffaceous subsoil.  The estate has ten hectares of vineyards, five new and five old, 65% of which are planted with Bianchello and the rest Sangiovese. The whole estate is being converted to organic farming.

The winery is very new but they are already thinking of expanding it a bit. Here stainless steel vats are used for fermentation and aging while wood barrels of any size are nowhere to be found. This choice was not for ideological reasons but to process grapes that have a more immediate expression. They produce two types of Bianchello and two versions of Sangiovese. For the latter they need some more experience and to define their winemaking approach but they have clear ideas and are giving it their all. We are convinced that with time their name will become known among a broader and informed public that is interested in the true quality that comes directly from a correct interpretation of a territory. Their prices are very reasonable, no small thing.

I was born in Fano some 48 years ago and lived there until I was 33. This is the first time that I have reviewed an estate from my home town and so forgive me if I pair the wines with local recipes.

Related Products