Cantina del Verdicchio – Montecarotto

Ancient viticultural background and the cooperative’s foundation

Viticulture around Montecarotto has ancient roots, accompanied by local traditions that trace Verdicchio back to Roman times. Specialized vineyards began to appear in the 1950s, and the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC designation arrived in 1969.

The cooperative was founded in Montecarotto in 1964 by a group of winegrowers who wanted to enhance both their own production and that of the wider area. Construction of the Montecarotto winery began in 1970. The cooperative handled its first harvest in its own cellars in 1971, while the completed winery dates to 1972.

Organic trials and the Moncaro identity

Experimental organic vine growing under EEC guidelines began in 1980. In 1987 the enterprise adopted the name Moncaro, a contraction of Montecarotto. The same name became the wine brand and marked a deliberate qualitative change. During the second half of the 1980s, investment intensified, particularly in the vineyards.

The first vintage of Verde Ca’ Ruptae, a Verdicchio Classico Superiore and one of the early estate-bottled wines, was produced in 1988. Its name combines the ancient name of Montecarotto, Mons Arcis Ruptae, with an abbreviation of Verdicchio. Le Vele followed in 1992, reflecting the technical exchanges with New World winemaking that informed oxygen-protected processing.

Expansion and recognition

In 1995 the cooperative acquired the Conero winery and introduced the name Terre Cortesi, conceived as an expression of several distinct lands, each with its own “court.” The Acquaviva Picena winery was acquired in 1999. These acquisitions created the three-winery structure for which Montecarotto subsequently became the common bottling centre.

The cooperative received its first Gambero Rosso Tre Bicchieri recognition in 2000. In 2003, the Verdicchio passito Tordiruta won a Trophy at the International Wine Challenge in London. A new maturation cellar opened in Contrada Busche, Montecarotto, in 2006, followed in 2007 by the opening of the La Casetta retail outlet in Montecarotto.

Tordiruta 2006 received the Italian Botrytis Trophy at the 2010 International Wine Challenge. In 2011, Vigna Novali 2007 earned a Grand Gold Medal and the Best White Wine distinction at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles, as well as Tre Bicchieri from Gambero Rosso; Le Vele 2010 received the Best Value Wine Trophy at the Japan Wine Challenge. Verde Ca’ Ruptae 2015 received the Regional Trophy Best White for Italy at the Japan Wine Challenge in 2016.

Environmental and social programmes

In 2016 Moncaro entered the register of companies adhering to the BSCI code of conduct. That year it also began converting another 175 ha to organic management, supplementing 60 ha already certified. Of the new conversion area, 130 ha lay in the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi zone and 45 ha in the Conero zone.

In 2019 Moncaro joined the Vitinnova project with Università Politecnica delle Marche. The work sought improved management of organic vineyards, including trials with chitosan as an alternative to copper to reduce the environmental effects of cultivation and production. Equalitas certification was obtained in 2021.

Crisis, operational restart and direct vineyard management

A severe internal crisis in 2024 caused solvency problems, a sharp reduction in personnel and lower production. Harvesting and the bottling plants restarted during the second half of 2024. By the end of that year, the cooperative had also begun directly managing some vineyards rather than working solely with grapes delivered by its grower-members.

A full amfori BSCI social audit of the Montecarotto operation began on 24 September 2025 and closed on 17 October 2025. At that point the cooperative remained under liquidation procedures administered by public authorities in connection with debts incurred in 2023–2024, while current-year social-contribution obligations were regular. The audit recorded continuing production, storage, quality-control, packaging and warehouse activity at Via Piandole.

Vineyards are classified according to altitude, exposure, soil composition, planted varieties and other pedological and microclimatic traits. This classification guides both their intended use and target yields. Viticultural technicians combine ongoing monitoring with the long experience of the grower-members to plan each operation and its timing.

Disease protection follows guided and integrated control methods. Weather conditions are monitored so that treatment can be preventive and localized toward vulnerable areas. Vegetative and crop balance is regulated through careful winter and green pruning, while excess production is controlled by cluster thinning. Harvesting may proceed in several passes so that each lot is picked at its optimum maturity. Every incoming lot is classified and coded by grape type, sugar level, health and yield per hectare.

Organic trials began in 1980 under EEC guidelines. More than 60 ha were already certified when a further 175 ha entered conversion in 2016; 130 ha of that conversion lay in the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi area. The broader cooperative later described almost 300 ha under organic management. More than 300 ha were also managed under the low-impact framework of EEC Directive 2078, serving as a testing ground for guided and integrated protection techniques.

The Vitinnova collaboration with Università Politecnica delle Marche investigates lower-impact organic-vineyard management, including chitosan and other alternatives intended to reduce reliance on copper, which can accumulate in vineyard soils. Other research has addressed alternatives to copper for downy-mildew control, the improvement of native yeasts for wines with little or no added sulfites, precision agriculture, traceability and possible recovery of fermentation carbon dioxide.

The return of beneficial insects and the observation of birds, wild boar, hares, porcupines and fallow deer in intensively cultivated vineyard areas are treated as practical signs of improving ecological balance. Certified organic activities fall under CCPB control; the current operator certificate covers production, preparation, distribution, storage and organic wine and is valid from 30 April 2024 to 30 April 2027.

The defining organizational principle at Montecarotto is the separate processing of grapes originating from different soil types. Incoming fruit is classified and coded by variety, sugar level, sanitary condition and vineyard yield, allowing vinification plans to be adapted to each lot and its observed maturity.

White-wine production makes extensive use of gentle pneumatic pressing, precise temperature control and protection from oxygen. Other techniques employed within the production system include low-temperature maceration, fermentation with selected varietal yeasts, subsequent yeast lysis, extended contact with yeasts and the drying of grapes when required by the intended style.

Maturation takes place in stainless steel or oak. Standard maturation periods range from six to twelve months and can extend to eighteen months for Riserva wines. The dedicated maturation cellar in Contrada Busche, Montecarotto, opened in 2006.

Montecarotto is the bottling centre for all three production facilities. Its automated lines are designed to preserve organoleptic characteristics while maintaining hygiene and stability. Finished bottles are held in a temperature-conditioned environment with controlled temperature and humidity, protected from light and climatic fluctuations to support bottle maturation before dispatch.

Daily controls cover raw materials, intermediate products and finished goods, using both internal checks and external laboratories. Cleaning and sanitation follow documented procedures reviewed through internal and third-party audits. Stems, pomace and lees are directed to further processing by distilleries as part of a circular-use approach.