From: Abruzzo, Italy
Varietal: Pecorino
Taste: The nose has notes of apricot blossom, lemongrass, acacia, sea spray, and yellow apple. On the palate, the wine is mineral and lithe, with a bit of floral undertones and lemon zest overtones. The bright acidity keeps the wine fresh and persistent, with a clean finish.
Pairing: The Pecorino grape, which is the star of this wine, is known for its high acidity and is often used to make wines that pair well with food. The Poggio Anima Gabriel Pecorino is no exception and is a versatile wine that pairs well with a variety of dishes.
General Pairings: This wine is a perfect match for seafood dishes like grilled shrimp, oysters, and scallops. Its bright acidity and fruitiness also make it a great pairing for creamy pasta dishes (the pasta recipe we’re sharing below isn’t necessarily creamy, but it’ll be delicious alongside this pretty wine), risotto, and light meat dishes like chicken or pork.
Regional Pairings: Being from Abruzzo, the Poggio Anima Gabriel Pecorino pairs well with traditional Abruzzese dishes like spaghetti alla chitarra, a type of pasta made with eggs and flour. It also pairs well with other Italian dishes like Caprese salad, prosciutto, and melon, and pizza.
Vegetarian Pairings: This wine is an excellent match for vegetarian dishes like grilled vegetables, ratatouille, and tomato-based pasta dishes. It also pairs well with light vegetable soups and salads.
Spaghettini With Bottarga and Colatura
Recipe from Diego Rossi
Adapted by Ligaya Mishan
The world of wine is filled with stories of rediscovery and reinvention, and the Poggio Anima Gabriel Pecorino white wine from Abruzzo, Italy is a testament to this. Pecorino is a grape that has been grown in Italy for centuries, but it was only recently rediscovered and used for monovarietal wines. The grape is named after the ancient tradition of herding sheep (Pecora is the Italian word for sheep) since the Pecorino grape is one of the first to ripen and sheep are attracted to the fruit.
The Gabriel Pecorino is a product of Poggio Anima, a joint venture between Montalcino superstar Riccardo Campinonti and his US Importer Vine Street Imports. The idea behind Poggio Anima is to create the best value wines that give a pure expression of their respective regions of Italy. The result is a bright and vibrant straw-colored wine with a heavy nose of apricot blossoms and lemongrass, with a touch of a sea spray vibe in the background.
The Pecorino grapes used to create the Gabriel Pecorino wine were harvested by hand in early mid-September from three different sites in Abruzzo: Montedorisio, Vasto, and Pollutri. The Montedorisio vineyard is located less than one mile from the cliffs descending into the Adriatic Sea and is perched on a steep slope planted with Montepulciano and Pecorino. The other two sites are in Vasto and Pollutri.
The Pecorino grapes used in the wine had a very high concentration of sugar and natural acidity. They were destemmed with a gentle bladder press to tank, where fermentation occurred via a carefully selected strain of yeast. After four weeks in tank, the wine was racked off of the gross lees and rested for another three months prior to bottling with just a slight sulfur addition (which is fantastic for transit, as it protects the wine as it travels from Italy to Seattle). The result is a wine that truly captures the essence of the Pecorino grape.
The Gabriel Pecorino is made using organic practices and is vegan friendly. The grapes come from vineyards that are dry-farmed and conventional, with an average vine age of 5 years old. The wine is fermented in stainless steel tanks and aged for three months in the same tanks.
