Mormaj, Pecorino Colline Pescaresi IGT 2024 750ml (12.0% ABV)

Location: The vineyards are located in the hills between Mount Morrone and Majella, near the town of Tocco da Casauria, in the Pescara region of Abruzzo, Italy.

Grapes: 100 % Pecorino planted in 2017.

Vineyard: Vines are planted on calcareous clay soils, elevation is 320 meters above sea level and exposure is North-East. The climate is Moderate Mediterranean with hot, dry summers and cold winters, with most precipitation occurring during the winter and early spring. Nearby mountain ranges and proximity to the Adriatic Sea serve as a tempering influence on the climate. Vines are trained in Double Guyot, the number of plants per hectare is 3500 and annual production is 70 quintals/ha.

Cellar: Manual harvest of whole bunches in September. Grapes were crushed, destemmed and loaded into stainless steel tanks. Fermentation was spontaneous with indigenous yeasts and 3 days of maceration on the skins. No temperature control or fining. Wines were aged for 6 months in stainless steel and an additional 3 months in bottle. Small amounts of sulfites added and light filtration (10 micron) at bottling.

Total bottles produced: 3300 Total sulfites: 22 mg/l

Notes: Pecorino is a derivative of the word “pecora” (sheep), and refers to the grape bunches as they resemble a sheep’s tail. The regulations to label a Pecorino Colline Pescaresi IGT or Pecorino Abruzzo DOC are the same. There are some more restrictions on grape yields in the DOC in an attempt to control the quality of wine, but otherwise, the difference is in location. The Abruzzo DOC covers the entire region and the Colline Pescaresi IGT refers to a smaller, more specific place. MorMaj can label this wine as either DOC or IGT.