My wine of the week is from Le Marche, a beautiful region that is still a little bit under the radar in terms of its gems, meaning its wine & artistic treasures. I first discovered Le Marche on a vacation to Recanati in 1998. I remember driving around with my boyfriend to buy “vino sfuso.” Together we discovered Rosso Conero, a blend of Montepulciano and Sangiovese. Rosso Conero was given the DOC designation in 1967. To put DOC on the label, the wine must contain a minimum of 85% Montepulciano. I liked the freshness and the acidity that it had and I liked the price too, very inexpensive when bought by the damigiana or cask 15 years ago.

Fast-forward 15 years and I’m having Rosso Conero by the glass in Manhattan during the Spring of 2013. Shocking but true, New York seems to have every wine under the sun on its varied wine lists.

The wine was refreshing and had nice acidity as I remembered but it also had depth and a nice structure. It worked perfectly with the Branzino I had as well as with the crudo (raw fish). It didn’t over or underwhelm either part of my meal. A lovely summer wine with meat or fish in my book.

The wine I had was from the Tenimenti Spinsanti, a winery near the city of Ancona. I liked the fact that the website also describes what work should be done in the winery during the various phases of the moon. I found the wine on wine-searcher.com at between $17-$20.