About Secondo Marco
Secondo Marco is the Fumane estate of Marco Speri, who founded it in 2008 after leaving his family's historic Valpolicella house to work in his own name. He farms 17 hectares in the Classica zone and bottles around 85,000 bottles a year, training the vines on a pergola he redesigned into a Y shape to give the bunches air and even light. The cellar follows the same independent streak: spontaneous fermentations, long aging in large casks and wines released only when ready, from Valpolicella Classico through Ripasso to Amarone and the rare Riserva Fumetto.
Prices are for take away and shipping. The wine bar serves from its own list.
The winery
About Secondo Marco
History
Secondo Marco is the personal winery of Marco Speri, based in Fumane di Valpolicella. Wine guides and retailers date its start as an independent estate to 2008. It grows out of the Speri family, who according to one profile have been making wine in the Valpolicella area since the second half of the 19th century. The winery's own website opens with two short notes: a line attributed to Benedetto Speri about a child who looks like his father without anyone knowing where the character came from, and a thought from Marco about balancing the fear of change with the wish to leave a mark.
The land and the vineyards
The estate sits in the heart of Valpolicella Classica, between Verona and Lake Garda, at the foot of the Lessini Mountains. Cold air from the hills meets milder air from the lake, which the winery describes as an ideal climate for the vine. The soils are rich in minerals and change a lot from one vineyard to the next, even within the same village. Vines are trained on an improved pergola that the estate calls the Y system, built to give the plants more light, more wind and more leaf surface.
The wines
The range follows the classic Valpolicella ladder: Valpolicella Classico, Valpolicella Ripasso Classico, Amarone della Valpolicella Classico and Recioto della Valpolicella Classico. The winery also lists a special project called Fumetto 08, an Amarone Riserva from the 2008 vintage. Reviewers and retailers mention long, slow fermentations and a careful drying of the grapes for Amarone, though the winery's own pages stay brief on technical detail.
Today
Marco Speri describes winemaking as a mix of hard work in the field, creativity and patience. The cellar aims to keep the character of the grape and let it develop, with tradition and modern equipment used side by side, so that each vintage tastes a little different. The winery is at Via Campolongo 9 in Fumane.
- Founded
- 2008
- Owners
- Marco Speri