Moncaro

Moncaro is a wine producer based in Marche in eastern Italy. It was founded by a co-operative of winegrowers in 1964 and today specializes in the classic wines of the region, including Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi, Rosso Piceno, Rosso Conero and Offida.

The first Moncaro winery, Cantina di Montecarotto, was constructed in the 1970s. By the end of the 1990s, two further wineries – Cantina del Conero and Cantina di Acquaviva – were added to the estate's growing portfolio. The current name of the co-operative, Moncaro, was adopted in 1987 and is an adaptation of the estate's original title of Montecarotto.

There are 800 hectares (1977 acres) of vineyards around Cantina di Montecarotto, more than half of which are set aside for the production of Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico wines. The flagship wine of this portfolio is the Verde di Ca' Ruptae Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi Classico Superiore, which was first produced in 1988. Grapes are hand-harvested from three separate vineyards and the wine matured on its lees for approximately four months.

Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Pecorino and Passerina are the primary grape varieties cultivated in the 580ha (1433 acres) of vineyards at Cantina di Acquaviva. Of these, 400ha (988 acres) go into the making of Moncaro's Rosso Piceno DOC superiore wine, while the remainder of the vineyards are devoted to the production of Offida DOCG wines, Marche IGT rosato and standard Rosso Piceno DOC wines.

Moncaro's most recent estate, Cantina di Camerano, was acquired in 1995. It is surrounded by 188ha (465 acres) of vineyards planted to both native and international grape varieties, including Montepulciano, Sangiovese, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot.

Moncaro also makes a selection of craft beers and a cherry-based fruit wine.