If you are interested in wine and spirits, Italy is the perfect choice. I’m sure you’ve heard of Barolo, Barbaresco, Amarone and Prosecco? Well, Italy is one of the oldest wine-producing regions in the world and many quality wines are produced here.

Let’s take a small diversion and have a quick look at the the spirits Grappa and Limoncello.

Limoncello

Limoncello is a lemon liqueur served as a digestivo – after dinner. It’s traditionally made from lemon zest and peel which is soaked in alcohol to extract the taste. Then the lemony alcohol is mixed with sugar and water. Many people make their own Limoncello here in Sweden. Wanna try? Here is a Swedish recipe in the Food-blog Nyfiken på mat.

Grappa

Grappa is a grape-based spirit which is made from the left-overs from the winemaking. Skins, seeds, stems and pulps are distilled and the outcome is for example served as it is after dinner or in a coffee as a caffè corretto.

Villa Marina and Italy

However, we were here visit the vineyeard Villa Marina in Numana, Marche. The vineyard, that once used to be called Antichi Poderi, meaning ”The antique vineyard” is located on Monte Conero.

Today it is owned by the lovely couple Duke Piervittorio Leopardi and Lidia Berlingieri which also also were our hosts during these four days in Italy.

45 hectares of pure delicacy

Many people compare Marche to Toscana because of the climate and the lovely nature. Here at Villa Marina the 45 hectares of plantations are located on flowing hills close to The Adriatic Sea.

Not only wines are made here at Villa Marina – we can also find production of honey, as well as olives that are grown and made into the most lovely and peppery olive oils.

Villa Marina Rosso Conero

During our stay we got to try both their red wines as well as the sparkling and still white ones. The Villa Marina Rosso Conero is the red wine that is specially produced for the Swedish market. It is made from 100% Montepulciano and is a medium bodied and spicy wine with some fruityness and moderate tannins.

During our visit to Villa Marina we got a tour around the beautiful estate to have a look at the wine yards and the cellars. We also got to see the amazing modern art collection and have a really nice lunch with italian specialities. Want to know more about the italian food or perhaps see some more pictures from our nice trip, check this out.

Thanks

A big thanks to Duke Piervittorio Leopardi and Lidia Berlingieri for the amazing hospitality, the great wines and the many laughs we had. I hope too see you soon again.