Agriculture Reference
In-Depth Information
RA PE 19 (much bigger bunch and yields more
structured wines that can stand up to oak), 1
ISV (low production, ideal for sparkling wines),
and VCR 417 (for fresh wines that can also be
made as sparklers). There are three main bio-
types. One has a fi ve-lobed leaf, a medium-
sized, winged, and loosely packed cylindrical
bunch. A second biotype has leaves with only
three lobes and much smaller compact bunches
and berries. The rarest biotype has a three-
lobed leaf, like the second biotype, but features
a large compact bunch; and the berries are large
too, but always perfectly round and thick
skinned. What I fi nd perhaps most characteris-
tic of Pecorino is its leaf: small and round, with
very few indentations, making it very easy to
spot this grapevine in vineyards. It's a very
resistant, rustic variety but prefers cooler micro-
climates to warm ones and prefers clay-rich
soils that are not too strong in lime content.
Due to its sterile basal bud, long pruning sys-
tems are best, such as Guyot or the classic
per-
gola abbruzzese,
while the best rootstocks push
vigor and are actively lime resistant (for exam-
ple, Berlandieri × Riparia Kober 5 BB or Ber-
landieri × Rupestris 1103 P). Its low productivity
is why Pecorino was abandoned decades ago.
Today, Pecorino is grown mainly in the
Marche and Abruzzo, though it is also found in
Lazio, Umbria, and Tuscany, where it was called
Dolcipappola. Vineyards devoted to it have been
increasing steadily every year over the last de-
cade; 2011 data shows 326 total hectares of
Pecorino, an almost fourfold increase since
2000, when there were only 87 hectares planted
in Italy.
For example, according to the informative
topic sponsored by the Cocci Grifoni estate in
collaboration with the Università Politecnica
delle Marche, the Pecorino by Cocci Grifoni
(representative of the wines of the Offi da area
in the Marche) is characterized by signifi cantly
high levels of
-phenyl-ethylalcohol (which
smells of roses), isoamyl acetate (banana),
ethyl-octanoate (citrus), and ethyl-hexanoate
(apple). As the wine ages, it shows increased
levels of the diethyl ester of butanedioic acid,
which produces a milky or delicately cheesy
smell recognizable in both the 1997 and 2002
Pecorino Cocci Grifoni. Furthermore, these
wines are always characterized by relatively
high dry extracts (greater than twenty-four
grams per liter) and very high acidities (average
pH 3 and total acidity eight grams per liter).
While high acidity is a sine qua non of Pecorino
wines (the variety is especially rich in malic
acid), the high extract of Pecorino wines from
the Marche are usually a refl ection of the wine-
making techniques employed, such as extended
maceration of the must on the skins. In
Abruzzo, Pecorino is instead not usually mac-
erated, and the wines are therefore lighter and
fresher. In general, Pecorino wines are usually
delicately herbal (sage, thyme, mint), with bal-
samic nuances to the crisp apple and pear aro-
mas and fl avors, and they are usually medium
bodied. Due to generally low productivity, the
wines can be quite concentrated and high in
alcohol: 14 percent is common, but even at 14.5
percent, well-made Pecorino wines manage to
stay balanced and crisp.
Recent winemaking advances, such as
hyper-reductive techniques and the use of spe-
cial selected yeasts, have created some Pecorino
wines that smell and taste of Sauvignon Blanc.
Picking grapes that had been exposed to sun-
light at length, and allowing the must to come
into contact with too much oxygen, had kept
the wine from showing off the lemony, fi ggy,
and herbal qualities that are now very apparent.
Cataldi Madonna, whose Pecorino wines are
one of the most like Sauvignon Blanc (after
starting off early in life as one of Italy's most
β
Which Wines to Choose and Why
The best pure examples are the DOC Offi da
Pecorino wines or one of the many Abruzzo
IGT bottlings, such as Terre di Chieti or Colline
Pescaresi. Other possibilities include DOC
wines such as Falerio dei Colli Ascolani, Colli
Maceratesi, and Controguerra (where it is made
as a sparkler). In these DOCs, Pecorino is part
of a blend, so though good, these wines don't
speak much of the variety on its own.
