The grape takes its name from the Italian ‘pecora’ meaning sheep because the vines grew along the route the shepherds took as they brought the sheep down from the mountains in central Italy (or so the story goes!).
Continuing their pioneering role in alternative varieties, winemakers Ian & Suzanne Little have produced one of the first Pecorino wines in Australia. They chose to grow it here in the Hunter Valley for its ability to hold flavour and acid during the warmer ripening months of December and January. It is also a variety that has a lower demand for water which makes it a more sustainable option than many other white varieties.
WINEMAKING notes from Ian & Suzanne: All the fruit was harvested in the early morning and the juice removed from the skins as soon as possible. The juice was clarified, racked and inoculated with a neutral yeast and fermented in stainless steel at around 14 degrees. We left the finished wine on lees for approximately 10 weeks to give it a little more texture then racked and bottled the wine in early June.
On the 2023 Vintrage : 93 Points - Erin Larkin, The Wine Advocate 'Loads of white pears and apples, white pepper, licorice and brine. There is anise, fennel and white currant alongside wafer and white bread. This is really good—I can't overstate the "flavorsome" state of this wine.'
The Details
Variety - Pecorino
Country - Australia
Region - New South Wales
Sub Region - Hunter Valley
Extra - Screwcap
Year - 2024
Volume - 750ml
The Little Wine Company was established over 20 years ago by two winemakers, Ian & Suzanne Little. From diverse winemaking backgrounds, they joined forces in 2000 and have been pioneers of emerging varieties such as Pecorino, Albarino, Barbera, Sangiovese & Tempranillo.
Their winery is located in the beautiful Broke Fordwich region of the Hunter Valley.
