he Greek historian Polybius reported that Hannibal in his march southward toward Rome had his cavalry units' horses rubbed down with the red wine of Picenum to give them new vigor. And the Roman natural historian, Pliny the Elder, spoke of a Picene variety of vine, although he said it was grown on the far side of the Alps.The wine of Picenum, named for the people who established a flourishing civilization in what is today the Marches, was already known long before the Roman occupation and its reputation firmly established by the time of the Empire.
Produced in numerous communes of the provinces of Ancona, Macerata and Ascoli Piceno, Rosso Piceno's vineyards are situated primarily in the upper hills with altitudes ranging up to 700 meters above sea level, an area dominated by the peaks of the Monti Sibillini. According to legend, the district was the preferred home of Sibilla, a prophetess who had obtained the gift of immortality from Apollo and the capacity to appear in different places at different times.
As in the case of Rosso Conero, a special variety, Passerina, is used in the Rosso Piceno grape mixture that also includes Sangiovese, Montepulciano and, at times, Trebbiano. The variety boasts an ancient history and many ampelographers assert that it may be derived from the Psythia mentioned by the Latin poet Virgil. Still cultivated in the hills of the Marches, the vine's grapes are endowed with a strong personality in terms of flavor so that it is considered an indispensable ingredient of such regional wines as the Falerio and Rosso Piceno.
Special mention must be made of the Rosso Piceno Superiore, a veritable cru produced in a highly limited area in the province of Ascoli Piceno that is particularly noted for its fine grapes. The wine must be aged for one year in wooden barrels before it can be released for sale as a Superiore.
