According to Jancis Robinson’s tome Wine Grapes (*), there were barely 87 hectares (215 acres) of Pecorino in Italy in the year 2000. This once popular indigenous grape variety was widely planted in Marche (eastern Italy) before the Super Tuscans and International varieties invaded the Italian peninsula.
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Pecorino grapes get very ripe and crunchy (they’re supposedly named after the sheep who used to nibble on them in the Marche) and it lends itself well to dry wines with fresh, citrusy bouquet and a medium-bodied palate with a nice minerality.
(*) Wine Grapes ( by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding, José Vouillamoz – published by Allen Lane (Penguin) in the UK and Ecco (Harper Collins) in the US in October 2012 )