Uncorked

The sheepish story of the pecorino grape

(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Kelly Brant)
(Arkansas Democrat-Gazette/Kelly Brant)

Cheese connoisseurs know pecorino, the salty, sheep's milk variety commonly grated over your pasta. But it's likely you have never heard it's also a grape.

The light-skinned grape is native to the central region of Marche on Italy's Adriatic coast. The grape does share a relationship with the family of cheeses including pecorino Romano and pecorino Toscano. The root "pecora" means sheep, and it is believed the sugar-rich grape variety was given the name because of its sweet appeal to the woolly creatures. Or so the stories go ... while the Abruzzo shepherds were taking their sheep into the mountains from Abruzzo south to Puglia the grapes were ripe and ready to harvest. Along the way, the hungry sheep would snack on the grapes thus giving them the name "pecorino." Another legend claims it is because the sheep would eat so many of the grapes during the journey, the shepherds would offer the vineyard owners a block of pecorino cheese as compensation. Either makes for a great story over your glass of wine with friends.

Few specifics are known about the history of this grape, but we do know it's a native Italian grape. The grape has been used in local wines for centuries. It's a difficult grape to grow with very low yields, which is one of the reasons it fell into obscurity with easy to grow mass-market grape varieties being planted instead. But in the 1990s a bit of a revival took place with an up-and-coming generation of Italian winemakers who realized the potential of this grape in today's market. The first varietal bottle of pecorino was produced in Abruzzo in 1996. Today the grape is grown in Marche, Abruzzo, Umbria and Tuscany.

As for what to expect in your glass, this grape is known for its versatility. Because of the high sugar in the grape the alcohol level in some styles can be as high as 14%. The taste profile is stone-fruit with floral and delicate herbal notes. The refreshing acidity makes pecorino wines an ideal pairing with almost any food.

Unfortunately, like most newly reintroduced grapes, pecorino can be quite challenging to find. But it's definitely one to be on the lookout for.

Lorri Hambuchen is a member of London's Institute of Wines and Spirits. Contact her at the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette, P.O. Box 2221, Little Rock, AR 72203, or email:

[email protected]

Food on 03/04/2020

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