Increasingly Rare But Worth Finding: Maceratino
Italy is a treasure trove of rare grapes that you’ve probably never heard of. To encounter most of these, you have to be in the country, eating in a small town’s lone trattoria where the owner’s brother makes the wine. Otherwise, most of the 3000+ native varieties of Italy just aren’t on anybody’s radar.
Here’s one: Maceratino. And its entry in the Oxford Companion to Wine is exactly 18 words long. The summary: increasingly rare.
Like so much in our modern world, unique grapes like Maceratino are quietly disappearing in the name of convenience, or uniformity or marketability. Which is a shame — what a boring world we would live in without the great kaleidoscope of variety out there. As naive as it may sound, I believe there is a place for the different and obscure grapes out there.
And so does Massimo Carletti of Podere Sabbioni. Which is exactly why I went looking for him in the first place.
Massimo’s vineyard is a small plot, on the outskirts of a small town, in a nearly unknown province of Italy. The Marche sits on the central Adriatic coast — dramatic mountainous terrain, a long coastline, and the modest city of Ancona as its largest population center. It’s a region that doesn’t get much attention, but it is dotted with increasingly rare grape varieties. Precisely the kind of place we like to explore.
I had come to the Marche knowing I would find some interesting Verdicchio and Montepulciano, two grapes that are known well enough. But in tracking down a few interesting producers, I left some room for surprises, as I always do. Massimo didn't disappoint — introducing me to an appellation I had never encountered, Ribona Colli Maceratesi, made from that highly local variety, Maceratino.
When Massimo says "We can talk about the whole Marche region by talking about our wines,” this is precisely what he is talking about. The kind of wine that reveals what over time has been selected, comprehended, preserved and celebrated, something that could only come from one place.
Podere Sabbioni
‘Ribona della Famiglia’
Ribona Colli Maceratesi DOC 2024
Maceratino is one of those indigenous Italian varieties that rarely travels beyond its home territory. It is believed to be related to Greco and Verdicchio; it certainly has the same energy — austere and precise, full of tension and minerality, but with a character entirely its own.
Massimo ferments his Maceratino in a combination of cement tanks and a large used foudre, followed by a long time aging on the lees, developing a rich body and enticing texture. On the nose are delicate citrus fruits, white flowers and honey, with a bright, grassy note reminiscent of Sauvignon blanc. On the palate, it is flinty and salty, with a creamy mid-palate texture — a natural companion to anything that came out of the sea.
The name — Ribona della Famiglia — signals what personal importance this wine holds for Massimo: A perfect picture of what this underestimated region can do, his commitment to his heritage and hopes for the next generation. Discovering this obscure grape, Maceratino, was a real highlight from my recent trip to Italy, and it’s heartening to meet winemakers who are actively working to preserve the great kaleidoscope of variety that make Italy such a beautiful place. I hope you give this one a try.