RAISE A GLASS

THE other day I was randomly browsing a wine aisle creating a mid-aisle trolley hazard, when I spotted Morrisons The

Best Pecorino and went a bit light-headed.

I was drawn to it because a) it is from the Abruzzo region in Italy which I’ve just visited; b) it has a picture of a sheep on the label, and c) it isn’t pinot grigio.

There is complete logic in my ABC so let me explain.

I bet many of you will have tasted the Italian reds labelled Montepulciano d’Abruzzo.

They can be hit and miss but speaking to the producers in their wineries I discovered that Abruzzo wines bottled outside the region can have little essence and personality due to the bulk processes involved.

To taste the wines bottled in situ was fantastic, some were divine. My eyes were opened sipping these reds in the region in which they’re born.

Another eye-opener was the white wine. Italian whites can be oh-so so-so but Abruzzo’s pecorino, passerina and trebbiano were fresh, zingy, often tropical, often citrussy, sometimes complex.

Back to my ABC and that Pecorino (I paid £8, prices may vary, 13% abv). I was giddy at the sheep label because in Abruzzo a winemaker told me the grape is so-called because sheep (pecoro) eat the grapes as they’re herded over the hillsides. I’d also been seeking a white to encourage a friend to stop reaching for pinot grigio and no other white wine.

“I love it” she said, as peachy and zesty notes won her heart.

Here are some Abruzzo wines you can seek out.

Contesa Pecorino 2016 (£9.75, thewinesociety.

com, 12.5%abv): A white wine with inviting aromas of summer flowers – freesias maybe – with lemons and a dash of dried honey with a lively acidity and citrus flavours. A perfect sunshine wine. Abruzzo Cococciola Frentana 2016 (£11, Bat and Bottle, batwine.uk, 12.5% abv): Cococciola is a grape new to me, though I’ll be seeking it out again. Lime and lemons are a zesty tease on the nose, together with spring flowers on a breeze. The citrus flavours are refreshing, the acidity not too demanding. It’s a wine nicely in balance and calling out for a seafood platter.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo 2015 Masciarelli (£11.99, or £9.99 in a mix six deal at

Majestic, 13% abv): Pepper and spice and all plummy things nice. I love this wine, with its aroma notes of dry wood, cherries, damsons and black pepper. In the mouth black fruit and cherry are centre stage, the tannins aren’t

overpowering and the acidity isn’t too racy. I’ll have a steak please.

Montepulciano d’Abruzzo Vigna Corvino, 2015 (£7.95, thewinesociety.

com, 12.5% abv): The nose speaks freshly picked hedgerow fruits, ripe and juicy, and a dalliance with spice. The acidity is medium and the tannins are drying but not too much. The fruit is young, fresh and pleasing. A lovely glass to drink with friends as you wait for the pizza to cook.

For more on Abruzzo wines search #abruzzowines on social media or visit vinidabruzzo.it You can email me via jane@onefootinthegrapes.co.uk