92

2023 Pietraia Pecorino, Abruzzo

( £9.99, 13%, Majestic )

Pecorino  – not be confused with the cheese of the same name – is something of a minority white grape in Italy, but producers like Rocco and Pierpaolo Pasetti have helped to rescue it from relative obscurity.  This is an unoaked delight that delivers a lot of flavour for less than a tenner, with flavours of quince and wild Mediterranean herbs, appealing texture and weight, refreshing acidity and a fine bitter twist.

BuyDrinking window: 2025-28Similar Wines: £5-19, 90-94, Italy, White, Pecorino
92

2018 Faraone Collepietro Pecorino del Colli Aprutini, Abruzzo

( £18.50, 13.5%, Berry Brothers & Rudd )

It’s amazing how much flavour good winemakers can extract from white grapes without recourse to oak if the site is special and yields are kept low. This wonderful Pecorino (nothing to do with the cheese of the same name) from Federico Faraone’s Collepietro vineyard has lovely pear and apple flavours, racy acidity, some skin tannins from cryo-maceration and appealing texture from ageing on fermentation lees. Fresh, intense and full of character.

BuyDrinking window: 2020-23Similar Wines: £15-20, 90-94, Italy, White, Pecorino