MADONNABRUNA PECORINO MAREE

“No thing more excellent nor more valuable than wine was ever granted mankind by God.”
Plato, 400 BC

Anytime you delve into history there are always some elements of glory and sadness, triumph and tribulation. The story of this family winery is no exception.

The origins of this winery go back to 1967, when Ferruccio Petracci bought some land on the hills of Fermo, Italy in the Marche Region near the Adriatic Sea with a dream to build a cellar and enter the wine business. Tragedy struck, though, in 1978 when he was involved in a fatal car crash which took his life leaving his legacy with his son Paolo who was still in school. Paolo divided his time between work and study and managed to graduate from the Agrarian University while also planting almost 50 acres of fruit. Originally planning to sell only this fruit, Paolo managed to save some money and buy more land, transforming the vineyards to suit his destiny. In 2002, the first batch of Montepulciano grapes were harvested. Today, Paolo’s son Carlo is in charge of the family business, growing it and nurturing it as his grandfather would have liked.

Pecorino Grapes, pale yellow

Sibillini Mountains

Now, normally PECORINO is thought of as a kind of cheese. However, the pecorino grape, which is not related to its alter ego cheese, is a type of grape originally grown wild in the Sibillini Mountains and was later domesticated, taking its name from the area where the sheep would graze and eat them. Originally native to the Marche Region, it is now grown in Tuscany, Abruzzo and Umbria Regions. The ancient Romans considered this area and this grape as very important for wine production. In fact, in the year 1526 an ordinance was passed in Umbria that anyone who damaged or destroyed these vines paid a fine of ten coins!

So, as you can see from the photos, the bottle is rather plain, stark almost. Very little
time went into designing the label. Instead, it is straightforward, telling a story of a wine that is simple, humble even, but with the word PECORINO so prominent, it stirs the curiosity. After all, that word as I stated above is a kind of cheese. So how does it relate to wine? First, it is made with only 100% Pecorino grapes. After opening you will begin to appreciate that immediately. The aroma is a wonderful melange of pear and melon with even the slightest hint of peach. Now this is not really anything different from so many other whites, but again, the curiosity has peaked. In the glass it is a medium golden color which reflects the light beautifully. This is a pretty light tasting wine but with good, medium acidity and some lasting notes of lemon peel. Hints of minerals are also there but not overpowering, more to give way to the fruit. Dry with medium boldness, this is a thirst quenching wine.

The Winery

We served this wine early on Thanksgiving Day. While we did not serve it with dinner it was a very nice accompaniment to our appetizers, which included shrimp, olives and some soft cheeses. But I do have to say that it would have gone very well with dinner, turkey and the trimmings. I would also recommend some pasta dishes like agli olio or linguini with clams, lite white fish and some vegetarian dishes like beans and broccoli. Thinking ahead to the warmer months, this is an excellent patio or poolside wine accompanied by maybe chips and dips. I would give this wine a personal rating of 8.5 grapes out of an unattainable 10. Very solid and basic but a cut above most.

I have often said in the past that the highest compliment one can give is that your ancestors would be proud of your product. Maybe I’ve even said that too often, but I will say it again here and risk over-redundancy. If Ferruccio Petracci could only see what his family is now producing, I think he would be more than a little proud.

Alcohol – 13.5%
Price – about $11