Velenosi makes this from Pecorino, a grape that nearly vanished from the Marche and Abruzzo hills in the 1970s and was brought back by growers who bothered to look for it. The 2023 vintage is dry, medium-bodied, and built on high acidity.
- Pecorino, an old Adriatic white grape.
- Prope IGT Colli Aprutini, Abruzzo, southern Italy.
- 2023 vintage, 13.5% abv, 750ml.
- Dry, medium body, low tannin, high acidity.
How it is made
Pecorino is a thin-skinned, early-ripening grape that gives low yields and concentrated juice. It is made as a dry white, and the high natural acidity is the backbone of the wine rather than something corrected away. The IGT Colli Aprutini designation covers the hills of Teramo province, where the Adriatic side of the Apennines drops toward the coast.
How it tastes
Bright, intense straw yellow in the glass. Pear skin and bread crust on the nose, with wild greens, sage and marjoram. On the palate it is citrus and green apple, white flowers, a clear mineral streak and a finish that turns toward almond.
Good to know
Pecorino was almost lost as a variety, surviving in small plantings until a handful of producers replanted it in the 1980s and 1990s. The name has nothing to do with the cheese. It comes from the Italian for sheep, and the story goes that the sheep liked eating the grapes.
