Velenosi Vini: One winery. Two regions. A wealth of flavors.

Angela Piotti Velenosi and her husband Ercole established Velenosi Vini in 1984. They started with nine hectares to make two kinds of wine. The couple had little know-how then, but plenty of passion to cultivate wine grapes on the land they loved in the province of Ascoli Piceno in Marche.

Velenosi Vini started out as a small family-owned winery, but in the span of forty years, this now two-generation winery has grown to become one of the region’s most prominent wine producers, with a stellar reputation for making high quality, terroir-driven wines. Velenosi Vini exports to 52 countries and has earned international recognition for producing quality wines, in an array of flavor profiles, at different price points.

The hills and mountains that dominate the region of Marche (“Marche” is derived from the plural of the medieval word “marca,” a term used to define the territory of the Holy Roman Empire)) create the ideal landscape for producing fresh and complex, fruit-driven wines. The region’s proximity to the Adriatic Sea adds mineral elements, as well as acidity and salinity to the wines.

In 2017, Velenosi Vineyards acquired 16 hectares of vineyards in Chieti province in Abruzzo. The landscape of Abruzzo (mountainous in the west, and coastal in the east), is prime territory for producing a range of quality, terroir-driven wines.
Velenosi Vini cultivates a variety of indigenous and international varieties that are well-suited to the microclimates and soil in the provinces of Ascoli Piceno and Chieti. The winery produces everything from sparkling and dessert, to still white and red wines. The Velenosi Vini portfolio of wines is crafted from grapes grown within the five DOCGs and 15 DOCs of Marche, and the two DOCGs and seven DOCs of Abruzzo. These varietals include the white grapes Verdicchio, Pecorino, Passerina, and Chardonnay, and the red grapes Montepulciano, Sangiovese, and Merlot, and other varieties. Velenosi Vini remains a family-owned operation despite its continued expansion and increasing prominence in both the national and international wine markets.

Angela and Ercole work alongside their daughter Marianna and her husband Matteo, to uphold the Velenosi Vini tradition of using classic methods of production to create quality wines with contemporary appeal, at different price points.
Marianna, Brand Ambassador and Educator Susannah Gold, and Tiziana Forni of Enotria Wine Imports, introduced seven wines from the Velenosi Vini portfolio to a small group of wine media during an informal lunch at Scarpetta restaurant in New York City. The wines were mix-and-matched with an array of well-executed Italian dishes that demonstrated the adaptability of these wines to a range of flavors.

The selection included some of the winery’s top white and red labels crafted from some of the regions’ most important varietals, including Trebbiano d’Abruzzo, Verdicchio, and Pecorino, as well as Sangiovese and Montepulciano.

Propre, Trebbiano d’Abruzzo DOC (“propre” meaning contiguous, refers to the proximity of the vineyards in Ascoli Piceno in Marche, to those in Controguerra in Abruzzo)

• Sourced from vineyards in the district of Controguerra.
• Composition: 100% Trebbiano.
• Elevation: 250-300 meters asl.
• First vintage: 2017.
• Harvesting method: Grapes are hand-picked between late September and early October.
• Vinification: Cold maceration for 15 hours followed by fermentation in concrete tanks. The wine is then kept in contact with its lees between two and three months.
• Color: Bright straw yellow.
• Aromas: White and yellow flowers, orchard fruit, and hay.
• Palate: Fresh, with a lively acidity, and acacia, peach, and apricot, as well as vegetal notes.

Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico, DOC Classico

• Sourced from vineyards located in the oldest areas of the Castelli di Jesi.
• Composition: 100% Verdicchio.
• Elevation: 100 meters asl.
• First vintage: 2005.
• Harvesting method: Grapes are hand-picked at optimal ripeness before being gently crushed and pressed.
• Vinification: Stainless steel tanks at controlled temperatures.
• Color: Bright straw yellow, with greenish hints.
• Aromas: White flowers, grass, and ripe orchard fruit.
• Palate: Lively acidity, with pear, peach, and green apple, as well as honey and fresh vegetation notes.

Villa Angela Pecorino, Offida DOCG, Pecorino (Pecorino is derived from the word “pecora,” meaning sheep, given the animal’s tendency to eat the Pecorino grapes off their vines during the “Transumance” (the sheepherding practice of bringing sheep to the mountains to graze over the summer)

• Composition: 100% Pecorino.
• Elevation: 200-300 meters asl.
• Harvesting method: Grapes are hand selected.
• Vinification: Fermented on the lees with natural yeasts in stainless steel tanks for five months.
• Color: Bright straw yellow, with greenish hints.
• Aromas: Citrus and tropical fruit, and grass.
• Palate: Balanced acidity, with peach, banana, and green apple, as well as papaya and fresh herb notes.

Brecchiarolo, Rosso Piceno, DOC Superiore (Velenosi Vini has been producing Brecchiarolo since 1984. It is named after the hill on which the cellar was built)

• Composition: 70% Montepulciano, 30% Sangiovese.
• Elevation: 100 meters asl.
• Harvesting method: Grapes are hand-selected in mid-October.
• Vinification: Fermented in second-use oak barrels for 10-12 months.
• Color: Ruby red, with garnet hints.
• Aromas: Fresh-cut dark flowers, and red berries and stone fruit, as well as soft spices.
• Palate: Rich and full-bodied, with balanced tannins, and ripe raspberry, cherry, and plum, as well as black pepper notes.

Roggio del Filare, Rosso Piceno, DOC Superiore (the word “roggio” is a combination of the word for “red,” and the word for a “ray” of sunshine). The Roggio is the flagship wine of Velenosi Vini. It is considered a quintessential central Italian wine

• Grapes sourced from vineyards in Costerano.
• Composition: 70% Montepulciano, 30% Sangiovese.
• Harvesting method: Grapes are hand-picked in the morning or late afternoon in mid-October.
• Elevation: 200 meters asl.
• Vinification: Fermented in stainless steel tanks, followed by 28 days of maceration, and 18 months of aging in new barriques.
• Color: Intense ruby red, with slight garnet hints.
• Aromas: Purple flowers, dark and black stone fruit, and dried herbs.
• Palate: Bold and refined, with violet, dark cherry, and plum, as well as sweet and zesty spice notes.

Ludi, Offida, DOCG Rosso

• Grapes sourced from vineyards located in Offida and Castel di Lama.
• Harvesting method: Grapes are hand-picked in the morning or late afternoon in mid-October.
• Elevation: 200-250 meters asl.
• Composition: 85% Montepulciano, 8% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Merlot.
• Vinification: Fermented in stainless steel tanks, with 28 days of maceration, followed by 18-24 months of aging in new barriques, before the final blend is carried out. Aged in bottle for 3 months before release.
• Color: Ruby red and garnet.
• Aromas: Dark berries and stone fruit, as well as balsamic and earth.
• Palate: Intense and elegant, with well-rounded tannins, and blackberry, blueberry, and cherry, as well as licorice and mineral notes.

Verso Sera Colline Teramane Montepulciano d’Abruzzo DOCG

• Grapes sourced from vineyards in the district of Controguerra.
• Composition: 100% Montepulciano.
• Elevation: 260 meters asl.
• Harvesting method: Grapes are hand-picked in mid-October.
• Vinification: Maceration takes place for 28 days, followed by fermentation in concrete tanks, after which the wine is aged in 30 hectoliter barrels for approximately 10 months.
• Color: Deep ruby red.
• Aromas: Red berry and stone fruit, leather, and black spices, as well as tobacco and leather.
• Palate: Full-bodied, with smooth tannins, and blackberry, plum, and pepper notes.