Saladini Pilastri Falerio DOC 2024, Marche, Organic

This certified organic Falerio comes from Saladini Pilastri, the historic family estate at Spinetoli in the far south of the Marche, close to the Adriatic coast. The Falerio DOC takes its name from the ancient Roman town that is now Falerone. The wine is a blend of local white grapes, mainly Trebbiano with Passerina and Pecorino, together with a little Chardonnay and Fiano. The grapes are grown organically on the limestone hills of Spinetoli and the sunny hills around Ascoli, without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, and the wine is made without oak to keep it bright and fresh.

In the glass it is straw yellow with a greenish tinge. The nose offers white blossom, citrus, green apple and yellow peach, with a hint of fresh herbs. The palate is dry, crisp and vibrant, with lively acidity, a restrained fruitiness and a clean, mineral finish.

Serve chilled, at around 8–10°C. It is a lovely aperitif with green olives and an easy match for grilled fish and seafood, prawns with garlic, pasta alle vongole, salads, vegetable dishes and white meats. Enjoy it young, within two or three years of the harvest.

Saladini Pilastri is the wine estate of the Counts Saladini Pilastri, a noble family from Ascoli Piceno whose roots in the area go back around a thousand years and who have made wine for some three centuries. The estate lies in the far south of the Marche, in the Rosso Piceno zone around Spinetoli, about eight kilometres from the Adriatic, and covers some 320 hectares. Its vineyards sit on the limestone hills of Spinetoli and the sunny hills of Monteprandone and Porto d’Ascoli, where long, hot summers are cooled by breezes from the sea. The family has farmed organically since 1994, without synthetic pesticides or fertilisers, relying on natural treatments such as copper and sulphur. Alongside whites from Pecorino, Passerina and Trebbiano, the estate is known for Rosso Piceno reds from Montepulciano and Sangiovese.