When you hear the word “Pecorino,” what’s the first thing that comes to mind? It’s probably a delicious aged cheese that you ate on your last trip to Italy. What you might not know is that Pecorino is also a crisp white wine that pairs perfectly with Pecorino cheese, too.
Pecorino wine sits closest to a Sauvignon Blanc or a Chardonnay: a crisp, medium-to-full-bodied Italian white with more weight than most wines in that category. It’s grown in Le Marche and Abruzzo, along Italy’s Adriatic coast. Pecorino is really popular in Italy, especially when paired alongside seafood, fried appetizers, or a sharp aged cheese.
Before we get into why you need to grab a bottle of Pecorino wine, or two, on your next trip to your favorite Italian wine shop, here’s what you need to know.
Is Pecorino Wine Popular in Italy?
Pecorino has become a real favorite for Aperitivo, especially in the regions where it’s grown. It wasn’t always this way.
For years, Pecorino grapes were mostly used to “cut” other wines and sold off as basic table wine, and the wine itself only found its footing in the last 20 years or so.
Now it’s earned a spot as a wine locals reach for on purpose, not a filler pour. With its light, versatile flavor profile, you’ll see it on many aperitif menus.
Pecorino is still relatively unknown outside Italy, which means better bottles at prices that don’t reflect how good they actually are. It’s also becoming easier to find in the US, especially at Italian wine shops and shops with a solid natural or small-producer selection.
What separates a real Pecorino producer from a tourist-trap one?
Look at the label first. A true Offida Pecorino DOCG must contain at least 85% Pecorino, though many producers use 100%. Anything padded with cheaper, high-yield grapes to cut costs is a shortcut.
Winemaker Luigi Cataldi Madonna, one of the grape’s earliest champions in Abruzzo, has pointed out that fermenting Pecorino in stainless steel tends to produce a cookie-cutter, generic style. The producers worth seeking out are often smaller, native-grape-focused winemakers who work the land themselves.
Elevation is another marker of authenticity, since Pecorino’s homeland is the rugged, mountainous terrain of Abruzzo, and the grape thrives at altitude.
Key Characteristics of Pecorino Wine
Pecorino wine has an exceptional aroma and flavor, with good structure. It expresses the base grape’s facets, structure, and freshness, making it versatile.
Its versatility allows for a wide range of combinations with aperitifs, appetizers, main courses, cheeses, and desserts, making it a great companion for just about any dish you’re serving up at your next dinner party.
On the nose, Pecorino is moderately complex with notes of acacia, lime, apricot, banana, and a persuasive mineral background with herbaceous nuances in every glass.
When you join us on tour in Italy, try to purchase an older vintage Pecorino; it ages very well and can gain structure and taste with time.
Because of these properties, Pecorino wine is often called “a red dressed in white”. Many of its characteristics resemble red wine. In fact, its alcohol content can reach (and exceed!) 14%, something which is quite rare for a white wine.
Is Pecorino wine dry or sweet?
It’s a dry white. Pecorino carries real body and richness, but there’s no residual sugar hiding in the glass. Instead, you’re tasting the grape’s structure and freshness, layered with notes of acacia, lime, apricot, and banana.
What is Pecorino wine similar to?
Think of it as sitting somewhere between an aromatic white and a lighter red in how it behaves at the table. It shares qualities with a few other Adriatic-coast whites, and if you’ve enjoyed Verdicchio or Fiano, Pecorino will feel like familiar territory with a bit more weight.
5 Perfect Pairings for Pecorino Wine
A multifaceted wine like Pecorino pairs well with local Italian dishes and complements international ones, making it the perfect companion for your next meal.
Here are a few dishes to enjoy with Pecorino wine.
1. Spaghetti alla Carbonara
This dish was apparently born at the end of WWII in Italy when guanciale (a kind of pancetta) was added to the Roman dish of “cacio e pepe” to give it a bit of protein for the American soldiers fighting in the war.
2. Risotto alla Milanese
The quintessential dish found in Milan goes well with Pecorino’s acidity and persistence. You can also pour a splash of Pecorino wine in while toasting your rice for an extra flavor boost.
3. Fried Calamari
Any kind of fried fish dish often works as a small appetizer, paired with a cool, crisp glass of Pecorino wine while you soak up the Italian sun by the seaside in summer.
Not in Italy? Try Tempura.
Pro tip: With this pairing, serve the Pecorino wine cold, straight from the fridge.
4. Pad Thai
The lime’s acidity and the tamarind’s slight bitterness harmonize perfectly with Pecorino’s taste profile and will not disappoint.
5. Spring Rolls
Spring rolls are probably one of the easiest things to get a hold of, and they fall into the fried-food category that goes well with Pecorino wine.
Both the vegetable and the crunchy outside pair perfectly with an older vintage, so buy wisely (or choose a bottle of Pecorino wine you’ve been aging from your last trip to Italy). This pairing is a great excuse to crack open a bottle that’s been sitting in your cellar for years.
Looking for more Italian wine pairings for your next dinner party? Click here to grab your free Italian wine pairing cheat sheet!
How long can Pecorino wine last?
This wine ages well and gains structure and complexity with time, so a bottle from a few years back is the better choice. If you’re buying to cellar, look for a well-made bottle from Le Marche or Abruzzo and give it a few years before opening.
The History Behind Pecorino Grapes and Wine
Pecorino wasn’t always a bottle you’d find on a wine list, but now it’s a favorite pour for Aperitivo. The story of how it went from foraged fruit to one of Le Marche’s signature whites says a lot about the region.
Where is Pecorino Wine Produced in Italy?
Just 3 hours from Rome, near the Apennine mountain range, you’ll find Pecorino wine produced in the ideal terroir of Le Marche and Abruzzo. Able to grow at an altitude of 3,000 feet (1,000m), Pecorino wine comes from a hardy, resilient white grape that thrives in the cooler inland climate near Italy’s Adriatic coast.
You’ll also explore the same Adriatic coastline, including a visit to the Original Purveyor of Pecorino wine, when you join us on Italy’s Epicurean Journey tour.
From Wild Vine to Fine Wine
The birthplace of the grapes used in Pecorino wine is thought to be Le Marche. Pecorino grapes were originally found growing naturally in the Apennines of central Italy.
In the early 1980s, winemaking pioneer Guido Cocci Grifoni planted the grapevines used to make Pecorino wine on the hills of southern Le Marche, near one of Italy’s Most Beautiful Villages: Offida (a town you’ll visit when you join us on Italy’s Epicurean Journey).
Cool winds from Eastern Europe favored this grape, making it perfect for growing on Italy’s eastern side. That is why you’ll often see pecorino grapes facing north as you travel the region.
Although the grapevines grew wild for thousands of years and were eaten as regular grapes, the wine itself only reached its full potential in the past 20 years. Before then, it was mainly blended with other wines and sold as table wine.
The Real Story Behind the Name
The first theory is that the grapes were not considered very good, and only humble people such as the “pecorari” (a derogatory term for sheep herders) would eat them.
The second, more credible story ties the name to a second fermentation each spring, which gives the wine a vivacious taste with a bit of natural bubble.
It’s since become a firm white, and its character pairs perfectly with the pecorino cheese so beloved in Le Marche, which is why winemakers named it after the cheese.
Wine Country Isn’t Just a Stop on This Trip
Pecorino wine rewards curiosity, and the best way to understand it is to stand in the hills of Le Marche where Guido Cocci Grifoni first planted those vines.
On our Italy’s Epicurean Journey, you’ll do exactly that.
You’ll spend a day walking through Offida, sit down with a Gambero Rosso award-winning winemaker for a five-course lunch paired with his wines, and taste Pecorino at the source alongside the very people still making this “red dressed in white” today.
Wine country runs through nearly every day of this trip, from cellar visits to a family-run spumante producer using the same method as Champagne. The tour’s full week is built around the land and the people behind the glass.
See the full itinerary for Italy’s Epicurean Journey and come taste it for yourself.
