Bianchello del Metauro is a

denominazione di origine controllata The following four classification of wine, classifications of wine constitute the Italy, Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine: * ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; 'designation of origin'); * ''Indicazione ...

wine made in the province of Pesaro and Urbino, in the region of

Marche Marche ( ; ), in English sometimes referred to as the Marches ( ) from the Italian name of the region (Le Marche), is one of the Regions of Italy, twenty regions of Italy. The region is located in the Central Italy, central area of the country, ...

Italy Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...

. The DOC was created in 1969.

Geography

The region lies on the eastern coast of Italy, close to

Pesaro Pesaro (; ) is a (municipality) in the Italy, Italian region of Marche, capital of the province of Pesaro and Urbino, on the Adriatic Sea. According to the 2011 census, its population was 95,011, making it the second most populous city in the ...

, and encompassing the towns of

Fano Fano () is a city and ''comune'' of the province of Pesaro and Urbino in the Marche region of Italy. It is a beach resort southeast of Pesaro, located where the ''Via Flaminia'' reaches the Adriatic Sea. It is the third city in the region by pop ...

and

Senigallia Senigallia (or Sinigaglia in Old Italian; ) is a ''comune'' (municipality) and port town on Italy's Adriatic Sea, Adriatic coast. It is situated in the province of Ancona, in the Italian region of Marche, and lies approximately 30 kilometres nor ...

. The wine region completely lies within two larger DOCs: Colli Pesaresi and Falerio dei Colli Ascolani, and shares its southern part with the

Lacrima di Morro d´Alba Lacrima is the Latin word for ''Tears, tear''. It may refer to: * ''Lacrima (fungus), Lacrima'', a genus of lichen-forming fungi * Lacrima (grape), a rare red wine grape variety native to the Marche region of Italy * Asprinio Bianco or Lacrima, a w ...

DOC. The wine region consists of hills running west to east along the Metauro River, in northern Marche. The soil is mostly sandy clay.Joseph Batianich & David Lynch Vino Italiano: The Regional Wines of Italy" pg 417 Clarkson Potter Publishers

History

According to legend, the Roman army defeated a Carthaginian force led by Hannibal's brother,

Hasdrubal Hasdrubal (, ''Hasdroúbas'') is the Latinized form of the Carthaginian name ʿAzrubaʿal (. It may refer to: * Hasdrubal I of Carthage was the Magonid king of Ancient Carthage from 530 to 510 BC. * Hasdrubal, son of Hanno (fl. 250 BC), a Carth ...

, due to the vast consumption of Bianchello wine prior to the battle.

Wine

Bianchello del Metauro is unique because it is made almost completely with the Bianchello (also known as

Biancame Biancame is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Marche and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy. Here it is an important component in the ''Denominazione di origine controllata'' (DOC) wines of Bianchello del Metauro and Colli di R ...

or Biancuccio) grape. According to the regulations for the DOC, Bianchello must consist of at least 95% of the blend.

References

{{reflist Italian DOC Wines of Marche Province of Pesaro and Urbino