Name & Appellation Pecorino ‘Roccastella’, Offida DOCG, Marche, Italy
Grape Varieties 100% Pecorino
Style Precise fruit and tangy minerality lend this wine to a variety of full-flavoured Italian dishes.
Alcohol 13.0%
Vineyard & Winemaking details Temperature controlled fermentation in stainless steel tanks maintains freshness and aromas. 5 month lees ageing adds weight and complexity
Closure Natural Cork
Vegetarian status Suitable for vegetarians and vegans
Tasting Keywords Lemon curd, pear, pineapple, mineral

The power and complexity of the Pecorino Grape have led some Italians to describe wines made from it as red wine dressed up as white.

Background
A sweet treat for the sheep passing through vineyards moving to their next pasture, the name Pecorino translates as ‘little sheep’. By the middle of the 20th Century, it was thought that the Pecorino grape was extinct, having been replaced in vineyards by higher yielding varieties that could supply high volumes. Thankfully, in the 1980s, a local producer researching indigenous varieties followed up on a rumour and discovered some vines in an overgrown vineyard. Cuttings were taken and grafted onto modern rootstocks, but it wasn’t until the early 90s that a wine could be produced. Since then, plantings of Pecorino have grown exponentially.

At the turn of the 21st Century, after a campaign for official recognition, Pecorino was allowed into the Offida DOC and was later promoted to DOCG. The rolling hills of this region, sandwiched between the Apennine Mountains and the Adriatic Sea, provide an optimum location for the grape to develop its rich fruit, fine structure and distinctive saline minerality. Naturally low yields, even without severe winter pruning, mean less fruit and a more favourable leaf-to-fruit ratio, leading to better ripening of the grapes, higher concentration of flavour and a higher quality wine as a result.

The Roccastella range of wines is produced by Tenute Pieralisi, based in the town of Maiolati Spontini in the heart of the Verdicchio dei Castelli di Jesi region of production. The winery was established in 1978 as a Cooperativa Agricola and was bought in 1995 by the Pieralisi family, worldwide leader in the production of olive oil machinery and renowned producers of Marche wine. The family own 103 ha of vines, where they apply their philosophy of expressing purity and intensity of fruit, along with their unique connection to the land.

Vineyard information
Location Grapes are selected from the production zone of Ripatransone, within the Offida DOCG area in the south of Marche, 13 km from the coast and 250 meters above sea level. Sea breezes impart minerality to the wine and the altitude helps the grapes retain freshness and acidity.
Climate Typical Mediterranean climate with cool winters, warm and long springs, hot summers with seasonal storms and warm autumns. The long springs are ideal for budding, flowering and fruit set and the hot summers allow good ripening and concentration of flavours. The breezes coming from the Adriatic Sea, combined with the seasonal summer storms, tame the hot temperatures and help the grapes keep their delicate aromas and preserve their acidity.
Soil predominantly clay, which retains water for the vines to drink from in the hot summer months.

Winemaking Details
Grape Variety 100% Pecorino
Fermentation under controlled temperature, to preserve freshness, acidity and delicate aromas. Indigenous yeasts are used to deliver the typical characteristics of the Pecorino grape.
Maturation in cement for 5 months, during which time the wine is left on its lees to add body, roundness and complexity.
Fining With bentonite (inert clay compound) means the wines are suitable for the strictest vegetarians/vegans.

Tasting Note
Lemon curd and ripe orchard fruit on the nose, on the palate this wine displays intense apple, pear and pineapple fruit that gives way to a moreish salty minerality and hints of sweet spice. The wine is juicy and generous yet pure and precise, with a smooth mouthfeel and lingering freshness. Its concentration and complexity lend it to full flavoured seafood, fish and pasta or risotto dishes. Alternatively try it with the local speciality of deep fried olives stuffed with veal.