Pecorino — An Italian Grape Nobody Talks About

An Italian white wine to know and love! Made in Abruzzo (and Le Marche)

My monthly spotlight on an Italian grape variety that deserves to be discovered and savored continues. Last month we dove into an enticing red variety from Sicily that’s still relatively under the radar—Perricone. For this installment, we are headed to Abruzzo, one of the most stunning, breathtakingly beautiful Italian regions, where a handful of native grapes are really making a name for themselves. This time around, we’ll be covering a variety that both surprised and captivated me during my visit and press trip there last year with the Consorzio Vini d’Abruzzo—Pecorino.

Have you heard of or had the chance to try Pecorino yet? Not to be confused with the savory, salty Italian sheep’s milk cheese, Pecorino is a white grape variety that’s native to Abruzzo, as well as the neighboring Marche region. Yet as far as origin stories go, the name of the variety is also tied to sheep. (Pecora is Italian for sheep.)

Abruzzo is known as “the green heart of Italy” and the greenest region in Europe because around one third of the region is federally protected land and verdant natural park reserves. As such, it’s home to a plethora of diverse landscapes from the great heights of the Maiella Massif and Grand Sasso mountain ranges all the way down to its lengthy coast along the Adriatic Sea. And like most other Italian regions, Abruzzo boasts an abundance of agricultural products and pastoral cultural traditions.

When temperatures began to drop at higher elevations is when transumanza or transhumance would take place. This is the seasonal migration of sheep from the higher elevations where they’d stay in summer down to the lower elevations where they’d spend winter. During this migration, the sheep would inevitably pass through vineyards in September. Since Pecorino is an early-ripening variety, they would nibble on these grapes as they passed through the vines, attracted to their sweetness. To compensate the vineyard owners for the damage, the shepherds would give them Pecorino cheese and supposedly that’s how the variety earned its name.

The Characteristics of Pecorino

In the Vineyard

Pecorino is generally a low-to-moderate yielding variety that thrives at high altitudes where the elevation and cooling breezes help moderate the influence of all that Abruzzese sunshine. Both of which are necessary. The latter helps this early-ripening variety fully mature, while the elevation and breezes preserve Pecorino’s trademark high acidity and aromatics.

Because of its low-yielding nature, Pecorino was abandoned by farmers in favor of higher-yielding varieties, like Trebbiano, with the potential to make them more money. Consequently, Pecorino was nearly extinct in the 20th century until the 90s when producers wised up and thankfully started reviving the variety. As an added bonus, Pecorino is a hardy cultivar with good disease resistance to downy and powdery mildew.

If you’re trying to spot Pecorino in the vineyard, look for medium-sized, compact, and often winged clusters with small-to-medium, pale green, and waxy berries.

In the Glass

Pecorino shows a pale straw yellow in the glass with golden reflections that deepen with age. On the nose, it tends toward fruity and floral aromatics. Think bright citrus, tropical fruits, and an elegantly floral bouquet of acacia and jasmine. It’s an inviting, fresh profile in younger vintages.

On the palate, the wine shifts in character, seemingly drier, more mineral-driven and earthy than the nose suggests, with medium body, persistent floral notes, and a bright, mouthwatering acidity that gives it real energy and definition. That combination of high acidity and alcohol-driven structure makes Pecorino surprisingly cellar-worthy for a white.

With time in bottle, the exuberant citrus and floral notes give way to something richer and more complex. Think dried fruits, honey, waxy notes, and a deeper mineral quality. The acidity acts as a backbone throughout, keeping aged examples fresh and focused rather than heavy. I’m telling you, Pecorino wines are special!

Geographic Indications for Pecorino

In Abruzzo, Pecorino is frequently bottled under the Pecorino d’Abruzzo DOC, in which the wine must be made from at least 85% Pecorino or 90% Pecorino if they are seeking the Superiore designation. Then there are a few IGT designations that Pecorino can be produced under, including Terre Abruzzesi/Terre d’Abruzzo IGT and formerly Colli Aprutini IGT, Colline Pescaresi IGT, and Terre di Chieti IGT. As of 2026, the latter three were all rolled into the all-encompassing Terre Abruzzesi IGT.

The Offida DOCG in Le Marche just north of Abruzzo is the only DOCG-level appellation that permits varietal wines from Pecorino.

Pecorino Wine Recommendations

Torre dei Beati Giocheremo con i Fiori Pecorino Abruzzo DOC

This was my absolute favorite Pecorino from my Abruzzo trip. A total knock out, so vibrant and alive. White flowers, orange blossom, salinity. Great acidity. Beautiful round texture, a really stunning wine!

Cataldi Madonna Pecorino Terre d’Abruzzo IGT

Incredibly clean and fresh style with linear acidity that makes it go down a little too easily. The very first Pecorino I tasted during an Abruzzo masterclass on night one of our press trip and it stayed with me. A very well-made wine.

Fontefico “La Canaglia” Terre di Chieti Pecorino d’Abruzzo Superiore DOC

Aged in steel, this single-vineyard Pecorino is all freshness and energy. Bright citrus, white flowers, and sage on the nose with a lifted, vibrant quality. The palate is full-bodied yet crisp with saline and mineral flavors, plus a lovely almond note on the finish. Long, clean, and alive.

Torre Zambra Poggio Salaia Pecorino Terre d’Abruzzo IGT

Peach, white nectarine, salinity, orange peel, tangerine, minerality. Fuller bodied. Nice concentration. Super fresh with an oily texture. This one blew me away, too. So much flavor.