Pecorino (grape)

Pecorino is a white Italian wine grape variety that grows in the Marche, Abruzzo, Tuscany, Umbria and Lazio regions of Italy.

Pecorino is a very old variety that, as believed by ampelographers, probably originated as a wild grapevine growing in the Sibillini Mountains that was eventually domesticated for wine production.

[1] In 2000 there were 87 hectares (210 acres) of Pecorino planted in Italy, mostly in the Arquata del Tronto region of the province of Ascoli Piceno, in Marche.

In the 1980s, Guido Cocci Grifoni was the first producer to begin widely using Pecorino in his Offida DOC wines and introduced the variety to nearby Ripatransone.

[1] In the commune of Macerata in the Marche, Pecorino can be included in the Maceratino-based white wines of the Colli Maceratesi DOC provided that it doesn't collectively exceed more than 30% of the blend along with Trebbiano, Verdicchio, Malvasia, Chardonnay, Sauvignon blanc, Grechetto and Incrocio Bruni 54.

[5] Within the Falerio dei Colli Ascolani DOC, up to 25% Pecorino can be used along with Pinot blanc, Passerina, Verdicchio and Malvasia (itself limited to no more than 7%) in the Trebbiano-based wines of the region.

Pecorino of Arquata del Tronto
The Sibillini Mountains as they cut through the Fermo province in the Marche . Ampelographers believe that, somewhere in this mountain chain, the wild Pecorino grapevine originated.
According to local legend, pecorino gets its name because sheep ( pecora ) are known to eat the grapes.
The Offida DOC, where Pecorino can be made as a varietal wine