Pecorino Wine? Hold the Cheese!
I did a solid double take recently when I saw the name Pecorino on the wine list of a small Italian restaurant on Vietnam’s Mui Ne beach. Was that some Italian insider joke, or a cheesy wine & cheese promotion? Perhaps some lost wedge of cheese had wandered onto the wrong page of the menu, after the owner had too much vino himself?
As it turned out, Pecorino is not only the essential cheese for iconic pasts dishes like Carbonara, Amatriciana, or Cacio e Pepe. It also is an official, perfectly legitimate Italian white grape. And to make things more confusing, there is a actual sheep connection too. The variety is native to central Italy, particularly the mountainous territory straddling Marche and Abruzzo. Its name is thought to derive from Pecora, Italian for sheep.
One overstretched explanation is that shepherds moving their flocks through the mountains noticed the sheep had a taste for these particular grapes. Whether that is oenological history or rural folklore I don’t know. But it’s certainly more entertaining than many creative grape-name etymologies out there.
Pecorino is an old grape variety. Small berries, thick skins and naturally low yields make it capable of producing concentrated wines with decent acidity. Unfortunately, “low yielding” are two words that historically made farmers reach enthusiastically for other vines. By the 1970s, Pecorino was edging toward extinction, unable to compete economically with more productive varieties. By 2000, only about 87 hectares remained planted in all of Italy.
Its survival owes much to winemaker Guido Cocci Grifoni in Marche. In 1982, he tracked down surviving Pecorino vines, took cuttings and began experimenting with them at his estate. By 1990, Tenuta Cocci Grifoni released about 1,800 bottles of varietal Pecorino. Its Colle Vecchio became one of the benchmark labels for the reborn grape.
Across the regional border, Luigi Cataldi Madonna became the Pecorino champion of Abruzzo. His first wine appeared in the 1990s, and he was the first to put the grape’s name prominently on the bottle. This decision helped turn an obscure local curiosity into a recognisable and tradable variety.
Today, Pecorino seems no longer endangered, thanks to media hype and social media. Its principal territories remain Abruzzo and Marche, with Offida Pecorino DOCG among its most important expressions. The revival is so successful that the danger may now be the opposite, meaning planting it in warmer, flatter sites just because the name sells. Pecorino’s natural home is cooler hillside and mountain country, where its combination of ripeness and acidity works best.
If you’re shopping for it, look for Tenuta Cocci Grifoni Colle Vecchio, Cataldi Madonna Frontone and Tiberio Pecorino. In the glass, expect a medium dry white with citrus and orchard fruit, restrained acidity and a bit of a saline finish. The good ones carry noticeably more body than the bottle I’ve tried, and apparently they age rather well too.
Which brings us back to that beach in Vietnam. I ordered it because the name made me laugh. But my personal verdict on the taste was – let’s say – measured. Fine for a light beachside lunch, and I’d order it again under the same circumstances of sun, sand, and restrained expectations.
But hand me a top Soave Classico, or even a decent Pinot Grigio, any day of the week. I like knowing what I’m getting, and getting what I ordered. Viva!
Image Credit: https://www.churrascophuket.com (AI Generated)
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