PECORINO is not just a cheese, but a grape that almost went extinct!

Both Pecorino the cheese and Pecorino the wine are named after the abundant sheep and the sheep herders who roam the hills looking after them.

Native to Sibilini in the mountains of the Marche region of Italy, Pecorino was first mentioned in 1875 yet, the grape was abandoned and replaced by the more productive and easier to grow Trebianno (which I wrote about yesterday and you can read here).

In 1980, the grapevine was found in a vineyard and rescued.

Today you can find it being grown in both Marche, its native home, and in nearby Abruzzo Continue reading →