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Pecorino Terre d’Abruzzo IGT wine — Emidio Pepe winery — Dionysus
WhiteTerre d’AbruzzoIGT

Pecorino Terre d’Abruzzo IGT

by Emidio Pepe · Abruzzo, Italy

Appellation
Terre d’AbruzzoIGT
Type
White
Grapes
100% Pecorino
Vineyard
Uora parcel near Casa Pepe, Torano Nuovo; 1.62 ha planted in 2006
Vintages
2024 nutritional declaration; general vintage notes through 2024 on the cellar page
Farming
Natural wine
Emidio PepeAbruzzo, Italy

About this wine

Vineyard and terroir

Pecorino is grown in the 1.62-hectare Uora parcel near Casa Pepe, planted in 2006. It forms part of the estate’s 17 hectares of indigenous varieties around Torano Nuovo. The local clay-limestone soils lie between the Adriatic Sea and Gran Sasso; broad solar exposure, diurnal temperature changes and steady winds favour gradual ripening. Farming employs biodynamic preparations and cover crops without chemical products.

Grapes

100% Pecorino, an indigenous variety associated with southern Marche and northern Abruzzo and historically cultivated at high elevations.

Vinification

The grapes are picked and selected by hand. White grapes are crushed by foot in a large wooden vat, about 350 kg per batch, for 40–45 minutes. This gently presses the berries without breaking the stems while allowing contact between juice and skins. Only the juice enters small concrete tanks, where spontaneous fermentation runs for 30–35 days without selected yeasts or enzymes.

Ageing

The wine remains in concrete before being transferred directly to bottle in the second spring following harvest, beginning its development in bottle.

Technical data

The 2024 declaration gives 327 kJ / 79 kcal and 1.8 g carbohydrate per 100 ml, with no sugar declared. Ingredients are organically grown grapes, sulphites and sulphur dioxide; bottling takes place under protective atmosphere.

Tasting profile

Voluptuous and generous.

Vintage notes

In 2022, Pecorino harvest began on 24 August. Weekly rain following the late-July break in the drought helped complete ripening, and fermentation proceeded smoothly. The 2023 crop was severely reduced across the estate after a wet spring and an August hailstorm, yielding only about 25% of a normal year. In 2024, an early white-grape harvest began on 17 August after a warm, windy and water-stressed season; fruit health was impeccable and fermentations were energetic while remaining relatively cool.