FEATURES
A DOC was created in 2001, whose name is derived from the name of the municipality of Offida. It is a tripartite DOC, comprising two types of white wine, Offida Pecorino and Offida Passerina, and a black wine, Offida DOCG Rosso. In 2011, this denomination gained the status of DOCG – Denominazione di Origine Controllata e Garantita.
The amendment of the regulations also regulated the presence of Montepulciano, which must not be less than 85%. This Montepulciano is the second most cultivated black grape in Italy, preceded only by Sangiovese.
Its dominant presence in Offida DOCG Rosso wines determines these peculiar characteristics: ruby red colour with a tendency towards garnet; on the nose, notes of red fruits and hints of liquorice and chocolate stand out; soft and ample on the palate, these wines have a very long aftertaste.
Pairings
A good Offida DOCG Rosso is surprising for its strength and elegance.
Since it is an important wine, it is recommended to let it breathe for at least an hour before serving. Also excellent as a meditation wine, it is certainly the ideal companion for a mouth-watering meal of typical Marche and Piceno dishes: platters of cured meats accompanied by the ever-present Ascoli olives, traditional rural legume soups, maccheroncini with chicken livers or lasagne, beans with pork rinds, mixed roasts, mixed Ascoli fried food with lamb chops and sweet cream.
A delicacy, suggestive even by name alone, typical of Offida is chicken ‘ncip ’nciap. The meat, cut into small pieces, is browned in a pan with oil and chopped lard, blended with white wine, flavoured with sage, rosemary, garlic with the peel, pepper or chilli pepper, and pieces of tomato at the end of cooking. A variation of this recipe involves substituting rabbit for chicken.
Although it is a white meat, here Offida DOCG Rosso enhances the aromas and flavours.
TERRITORY
Offida, pronounced with the accent on the i, is a town in southern Marche, in the province of Ascoli Piceno. About 290 meters above sea level, L’ufid (so in Offidan dialect) is located on the ridge of the band of hills that divides the valley of the Tronto River from the valley of the Tesino River.
Since 2008 Offida has been one of the “Most Beautiful Villages in Italy” and preserves a historic center of splendid harmony, rich in architectural and artistic points of interest.
Not to be missed is the almost dreamlike vision of the church of Santa Maria della Rocca, an imposing Gothic mass that stands out in the void, “precariously clinging to a rocky spur marked by deep gullies that give the landscape a hostile and ghostly aspect, in contrast to the gentle slopes cultivated with vines that characterize the surrounding hills” (Stefano Papetti, from Flash magazine, 203, 1995).
Not to be missed is the Offida Historical Carnival, a testament to popular folklore that is still very much alive today.
Definitions of this wine
ACIDITY
In wine, acids are important components. They are responsible for the characteristic sensation of bright freshness on the palate, typical of white and sparkling wines.
