Azienda Agricola Fratelli Politi

Giuditta Politi's Loretello vineyard is located
just below Nidastore, a tiny fortified hamlet in the wine hills of Arcevia
Photograph © copyright Giuditta Politi 2005

a message from Giuditta

The story of a new, younger generation returning to the land to take over a family wine estate is a recurring one throughout Italy. Giuditta Politi grew up in Jesi, the busy atmospheric town inland from the Adriatic coast that gives its name to the Castelli di Jesi communities of Le Marche. Her family had a wine-and-olive estate in the hills of Arcevia, near the tiny fortified hamlet of Nidastore, planted mainly with a mix of Verdicchio and other vines as well as with olive trees. While growing up, Giuditta was keenly interested in studying agriculture. But she was discouraged from pursuing that profession in a region where working the land even today is still considered an occupation mainly for men. So instead she gained her PhD, became a molecular geneticist and followed her career as a scientist in Rome. However, when her father and uncle passed away she took the decision to return to the land and fulfil her first love by taking over the day-to-day running of the family estate.

Today, Giuditta’s careful and scientific approach to growing grapes and making wine has little by little earned her the respect of her neighbours and winegrowing colleagues. She has had to impress upon her farmhands the need to strive for quality instead of quantity. And though Giuditta’s approach may be rational and systematic, she makes wine from the heart, fully expressive of the rich character of her land. For example, in order to gain a fullness and ripeness that expresses the fruit of the Verdicchio at its most vivid, she leaves a proportion of the grapes to late harvest in order to gain in extract and maturation. The result is truly impressive!

Le Marche itself is a region of Italy that is still undiscovered. Yet it offers so much to the visitor: beautiful wine country, wonderful fish and shellfish from the Adriatic, culture and charming hill towns. This is a region that definitely deserves to be better known, so sometime in 2005/6 we plan to organise a Vino wine tour to taste, enjoy and discover direct at the source.

Loretello Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi DOC 2003
Giudittta’s Verdicchio is a stunning, very special white wine. Archetypically Italian in character, it manages to combine power, structure and body with finesse and elegance. On the nose, there is an explosion of rich tropical scents, with round, mouth-filling flavours and a dry, slightly bitter, persistent finish that keeps it well balanced and harmonious. Verdicchio is one of Italy’s most characterful indigenous white grape varieties and this is one of the very best examples. We feel privileged to be able to offer this outstanding, top quality white wine and proud to represent this friendly and up-and-coming estate.

Monte Vito In Vito olio extra vergine d’oliva new season 2004 olive oil
Good olive oil, great olive oil, is for many of us now indispensable in our daily lives. Italy is undoubtedly the source of the best olive oil in the world, and great examples come from Tuscany, Umbria, Puglia, Sicily and Le Marche. Giuditta Politi’s olive groves are planted on the same undulating terrain as her Verdicchio grapes, in the heart of the beautiful Castelli di Jesi country of Le Marche.

Here Giuditta undertakes the same rigorous handcare with her olives as she does with her grapes. Working cooperatively with another small neighbour producer, when fully ripe, the olives are harvested carefully by hand and transported to the mill immediately, so that they are pressed within hours of being picked. This is the key, Giuditta says, to maintaining the intense, green, grassy freshness and pungent vigour of this outstanding olio extra vergine d’oliva.

Olive oil is best when fresh and young – it does not improve with age. Giuditta's olive oil comes from the new 2004 harvest and its freshness is reflected in its incredible intensity and the characteristic slightly peppery finish that is the hallmark of the best oils.

We have only a very small limited quantity of this very special Monte Vito In Vito olive oil. It’s way too good for cooking with: use it sparingly, drizzled into soups, in salads, as a dip for raw vegetables, or, best of all for bruschetta. To prepare, simply take a slice of good country bread and toast over a charcoal fire, then rub with a cut clove of garlic. Drizzle over this liquid gold olive oil, then add a crumble of Maldon sea salt, a grind of black pepper. Devour at once: with a good glass of Giuditta’s Verdicchio of course. Simple but sensatonal.