San Ginesio is a DOC of the southern Marche wine region on the east (Adriatic) coast of central Italy. Created in July 2007, this is one of Marche's youngest DOCs; the oldest cover the region's famous Verdicchio wines Matelica (1967) and dei Castelli di Jesi (1968). Its introduction came just three years after Vernaccia di Serrapetrona, which is also produced in this area, was promoted to DOCG status. This promotion left some local producers without a DOC-level title under which to sell their sparkling red wines – this gap is now filled by San Ginesio.
There are two key types of San Ginesio wine, both of which are red: dry, still San Ginesio Rosso and sparkling San Ginesio Spumante, which comes in both dry and sweeter (secco and dolce) styles. The former is made from a 50% base of Sangiovese, with Vernaccia Nera, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Ciliegiolo all permitted to constitute up to 35% of the remainder.
The vineyards from which San Ginesio wines come are found in the commune of San Ginesio itself, and in specified plots in the neighboring villages of Caldarola, Camporotondo di Fiastrone, Cessapalombo, Ripe San Ginesio, Gualdo, Colmurano, Sant'Angelo in Pontano, and Loro Piceno, all in the Macerata province. This area lies precisely halfway between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic coast, its landscape characterized by rolling hills, the Chienti river valley and the Lago di Caccamo (a lake) in the west. The undulating topography in this part of Marche creates the kind of varied terroir which allows aspiring vignerons to modulate the wine styles they create. The hilltop town of San Ginesio itself sits at a little more than 2000ft (610m), although this is higher than most of the vineyards which actually produce the wine.
