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: 

2024 was a tale of two seasons with a cool, wet December leading into a warm, dry January. This resulted in a very compressed and early vintage with the grapes from the Brycefield vineyard being harvested on the last day of January.  .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 9 weeks to give it a little more texture then racked and bottled the wine in early June. 

Our fourth release and definitely our favourite so far. Loads of white flower, crunchy pear and that trademark line of acidity which drew us to the variety in the first place.  The complex minerality and lovely aromatic crispness makes this an eminently drinkable summer white.