This is the appellation that expresses the area of Ancona, capital of the Marche region. To make Rosso Conero, winemakers use 85% Montepulciano grapes which thrive in their natural habitat here, with other nonaromatic red grapes blended in to make up not more than the remaining 15%. A year after harvesting, Rosso Conero, which contains a fair share of tannins, pairs very well with succulent, fragrant food. When it has aged and become somewhat softer, it goes well with stuffed pastas and pasta seasoned with tomato-based sauces. In the Doric city of Ancona, Rosso Conero is often paired with “stoccafisso all’anconitana”, a local dish based on cod or stockfish. The area where the grapes grow is located on the Conero headlands, southeast of Ancona, more precisely, in the areas around Ancona, Offagna, Camerano,Sirolo, Numana and parts of Castelfidardo and Osimo. The unique climatic conditions with excellent sun exposure and sea breezes not to mention the soils which are mainly chalky clay with low fertility, allow the grapes to mature only when the numbers of bunches are limited on the vines.