Rosso Piceno DOC

[RAWS-soh pee-CHEH-noh] Rosso Piceno is located in the southern half of (and is the largest doc in) the marches region. This DOC's dry red wines are made from 35-70 percent Montepulciano, 30-50 percent Sangiovese, and 15 percent other local red varieties. The wines labeled "Su­periore" (which are usually the best) are from a special area at this region's southern end around Ascoli Piceno. They're more like a classico and require an additional ¹⁄2 percent minimum alcohol and 1 year of aging. A varietal Sangiovese is also made and must contain 85 percent of this variety.