By Christine Salins.
You could be forgiven for thinking we’re talking about cheese when we mention the word Pecorino, but you might be surprised to know that it’s also a grape variety.
The name means ‘little sheep” and the cheese is named thus because it is made from ewes’ milk. The grape is an ancient Italian variety and it’s said to be so named because it was a favourite treat for sheep in the field.
It’s relatively new to Australia but with our eagerness to embrace different varieties I’m sure we’ll see a lot more of it in years to come. South Australia’s Primo Estate has just released its first example of this fresh and lively white wine, the culmination of a 20-year dream for owner and winemaker, Joe Grilli.
Grilli is renowned for being a winemaker who perseveres in his quest to produce something different, at the same time holding tradition and his Italian heritage front and centre. His Joseph Moda, for example, is produced in the labour-intensive Italian amarone style, where the grapes are dried to concentrate their sugars and flavours before being crushed.
He returns to Italy regularly to produce Australian-inspired Italian wines under his Primo & Co label. It was on a trip to Italy back in 2000 that Grilli first tasted Pecorino. Originally grown by monks, the variety was heading for extinction before being rediscovered in Italy in the 1980s. By the time Grilli visited in 2000, it was undergoing a renaissance in Le Marche, the region in Italy’s east where his family hails from.
Primo Prosecco
“(A local winemaker) poured me a glass, and I was delighted by the class and elegance of this aromatic white. The label said ‘Offida – D.O.C.’, and I was captivated. My father, Primo Grilli, was born and raised in Offida. His boyhood home is surrounded by Italy’s most famous Pecorino vineyards.”
It was nearly two decades before Grilli could realize his dream, but when in 2019 he learned that Adelaide Hills grower Caj Amadio had planted South Australia’s first Pecorino vineyard, he jumped at the opportunity to secure the fruit.
The vines gave their first good crop this year. The grapes were hand-picked and fermented in stainless steel, and the first Primo Estate Pecorino is now available. Coincidentally, you’ll find that Pecorino cheese is a good match for the wine.
Primo Estate 2021 Pecorino, $28: With distinct floral and herbal notes and a pleasing minerality, this refreshing wine is bursting with flavour and very easy to drink. It goes well with salads and seafood; we enjoyed it immensely with oysters and prawns.
Primo Estate Prosecco NV, $22: I’ve always loved this crisp and lively Prosecco with its delicate bubbles and ever so slight hint of sweetness. Pear and spice combine with zingy lemon for an aromatic and vibrant fizz.
Primo Estate 2021 ‘La Biondina’, $22: The ‘young blonde’ is not so young anymore – she’s decades old in fact – but she flaunts eternal youth. A fruit salad of passionfruit, mango and citrus flavours, this is a fun summer quaffing wine and a fine match for seafood or curry.
JOSEPH 2021 ‘d’Elena’ Pinot Grigio, $35: Crisp and dry with a racy acidity, this elegant, aromatic white from the Adelaide Hills has citrus and stonefruit notes complemented by a savoury minerality.
