Terralibera

In the hills of Serra de’ Conti in the Marche region of central Italy, Gianmario Bongini is doing something quietly remarkable. At his small estate, Terralibera, he farms a single block of Verdicchio with meticulous care and a firm belief in the power of place — producing wines that have already earned recognition far beyond the region.

Whether from Matelica or Castelli di Jesi, Verdicchio is capable of producing some of Italy’s finest expressions of dry, medium-bodied, mineral-driven and finely chiselled wines. Depending on origin and winemaking approach, these wines can be compared to certain French counterparts such as Chablis or other parts of Burgundy. Like Chardonnay, Verdicchio is a highly ”plastic” variety — meaning it adapts well to a wide range of vinification techniques — and one that rewards both the winemaker and the patient drinker.

As in many Italian regions, the Marche is largely dominated by large producers focused on supplying the mass market, making it particularly challenging to identify small, quality-focused growers such as Gianmario at Terralibera.

Terralibera is a young estate and the brainchild of Gianmario Bongini, a Milanese who left a career in corporate finance to move to the Marche region. There, he began his journey into viticulture and winemaking in 2013, eventually acquiring the Terralibera vineyards in 2021.

Gianmario cultivates 6,8 hectares of 21-year-old Verdicchio vines in Serra de’ Conti. The vineyard is planted as a single block but benefits from three distinct exposures. Altitudes range between 250 and 325 metres above sea level, and the soils vary in composition: clay-rich at the top, loamy in the middle, and sandy at the bottom. Although the estate appears as one single vineyard, it is effectively divided into two distinct zones — resulting in two different wines.

The estate has been under organic conversion since 2021, when Gianmario purchased the vineyard. From the 2024 harvest onwards, it will carry organic certification, and he is currently working towards biodynamic certification as a next step.

Gianmario’s philosophy is to intervene as little as possible in both the vineyard and the cellar, allowing the terroir to fully express itself. Fermentation starts spontaneously using a pied de cuve prepared from grapes of the same vineyard. No sulphites are used during fermentation or ageing, with only a minimal addition before bottling.

The wines have quickly gained recognition both in Italy and internationally, awarded by Gambero Rosso and Slow Wine — with each wine receiving the prestigious Tre Bicchieri in 2026.