Marche IGT is the region-wide IGT (Indicazione Geografica Tipica) title used in the Marche region of eastern central Italy.
Some IGT titles cover quite specific wine styles from specific areas. Others cover whole provinces or even regions, as is the case with Marche IGT. Every commune in the region's four provinces (Ancona, Ascoli Piceno, Fermo and Macerata e Pesaro Urbino) is covered, and may produce Marche IGT wine.
Perhaps obviously, given the appellation's broad, catch-all nature (and the large area it spans), it covers a wide range of styles. The basic forms are the three key wine colors – bianco (white), rosato (rosé) and rosso (red) – but beyond those, the wines can be spumante (sparkling) or still, sweet or dry, blended or varietal.
More than 20 grapes have so far been identified as suitable for the production of varietal IGT wines in Marche. These include such Italian classics as Barbera and Passerina and also French imports such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay and Syrah. Even Grenache, known locally as Alicante, is specifically cited in the appellation laws.
Verdicchio, being the grape behind the region's most important white wines, naturally features in the Marche IGT wine portfolio. Similarly, Montepulciano and Sangiovese (the varieties responsible for Marche's most famous red, Rosso Piceno) dominate red wines produced under the title.
Marche is far from alone as a region-wide appellation. Most of Italy's 20 regions have one, at either IGT or (less commonly) DOC level. Neighboring Abruzzo has its regional DOC, as does Molise just a little further south.
