La Staffa, situated in the zone of the Verdicchio dei Castelli de Jesi, is an organic winery which produces hand-crafted wines savouring strongly of the local land. On the rolling hills of Staffolo (Ancona), in the north of the Marche region, Riccardo Baldi tends twelve hectares of predominately Verdicchio vineyards with passion and absolute dedication.

Staffolo is known as ‘the balcony of the Esino valley’ for its fantastic panorama, criss-crossed with rows of grapevines which one enjoys from the walls of this medieval town. From time immemorial, it has been bound up with viticulture. A local legend has it that the name ‘Staffolo’ comes from the greek work ‘Staphile’, which means ‘a bunch of grapes’.

Today Staffolo has only two thousand residents – and about twenty wineries: it’s not a surprise that it is called ‘the hills of Verdicchio’. The Verdicchio and Montepulciano vines of the La Staffa winery are located in this zone devoted to viticulture: seven hectares in Contrada Castellaretta and five in nearby fields.