While it's true that the wines typically associated with Marche and Abruzzo are respectively Verdicchio (Castelli di Jesi and Matelica) and Montepulciano d'Abruzzo, in the border between the two regions, some very interesting native grape varieties are cultivated, which have also been rediscovered in purity. One of these is Passerina. The name seems to derive from the fact that sparrows love to peck its tasty berries. It has very ancient origins and, like many other white grape varieties of central Italy, belongs to the vast family of Trebbiano. Passerina has found the best conditions for its spread in the territories of Piceno and northern Abruzzo, as well as in Lazio, particularly in a small enclave in the province of Frosinone. In the past, it suffered from the competition of Tuscan Trebbiano, which has superior yields and is decidedly more resistant and vigorous. For this very reason, it lived in obscurity for many decades until it was rediscovered by some passionate winemakers.
To mark this path of enhancement, in 2011 the DOCG Offida was created, which includes in its regulations the Offida Passerina DOCG, produced with a minimum percentage of 85% of the grape variety. The vineyards extend from the Adriatic coast towards the hilly Apennine hinterland, up to an altitude of about 600 meters above sea level. The climate is Mediterranean, with hot summers and relatively cold winters. The influence of the sea, with its thermal breezes, helps to mitigate temperatures and favor the perfect ripening of the grapes.
In the past, the Passerina grape variety was often blended, and even today, it is included in numerous denominations of central Italy. When vinified in purity, it gives a wine with delicate aromas and pleasant freshness. In addition to the still version protected by the DOCG Offida, in Piceno, there is a DOC, Terre di Offida, which also includes sparkling, passito, and Vin Santo versions.
The Passerina grape variety has medium-sized clusters with yellow-gold berries, possesses good sugar concentration, and a rather high acidity level. The wine has a straw yellow color, with an olfactory profile characterized by fresh citrus notes and aromas of yellow fruit. On the palate, it expresses a pleasant fruity freshness, accompanied by good sapidity. In the Vin Santo version, it has an intense and persuasive bouquet with aromas of candied fruit, dried fruit, and spices. The sweetness is always well-balanced by a pleasant acidic vein.
The best Passerina
Here are the best Passerina (DOCG and IGT) according to Gambero Rosso, obtained from the homonymous grape variety in purity or present in a high percentage in the indicated wines, evaluated this year with Due Bicchieri in the Gambero Rosso 2024 Wine Guide.
MARCHE
There are two Passerina from Centanni that we evaluated and included in the Wine Guide of Italy this year. Since 2005, the Centanni company has never stopped growing. The young Giacomo leads the company assisted by his father Mario, whose primary commitment is to bring healthy and well-ripened grapes into the cellar, grown with organic principles. It will then be the tandem of winemakers Nicola Tucci and Francesco Pallotti who will transform them into wines marked by a style that wants them intensely fruity on the nose and rich, soft, decidedly flavorful, capable of expressing universal pleasantness.
Kreta 2022 is one of the best Passerina of the vintage. Collevite is born from the union of some agricultural entrepreneurs whose properties cover an area of 170 hectares of vineyards scattered in the best areas of Piceno, in a context of sunny hills that duly feel the influence of the nearby Adriatic Sea. The spacious cellar that welcomes and processes the grapes is located in Monsampolo del Tronto while the small barrels that age the most important reds are hosted at Villa Piatti in Ripatransone.
Good citrusy vibrations are found in Passerina Lajella 2022, voted for a light and smooth sip. Colli Ripani is a cooperative institute that since 1969 coordinates and manages the work of a wide range of winemakers scattered among the hills of Ripatransone and neighboring areas, in the heart of the most suitable area of Piceno. The wide availability of hectares available and the equipped cellar of Contrada Tosciano allow the creation of multiple production lines, one of which is entirely dedicated to organic wines. There is something for all tastes and all budgets, with the usual reliability shown over the years.
Passerina Notturna 2022 has a rare elegance for the denomination. With the entry of the new generations Marta and Camilla Capriotti, daughters of Marilena Cocci Grifoni, Tenuta Cocci Grifoni has expanded its range of action, giving more and more space to hospitality: to the operation for guided tours, services have been gradually added. catering and the Panoramic Wine Resort for hospitality has entered full swing, where you can stop surrounded by the vineyards.
Campo di Marte Passerina 2022 by Tenuta De Angelis is one of the wines produced by the company led today by Alighiero Fausti, among the most renowned in Piceno for consistency and quality. Founded in 1958, it begins to have its own bottled line in the early '90s, curated by the oenological consultancy of Roberto Potentini. More recently, the conversion to organic farming of all the vineyards scattered between Castel di Lama and Offida, in the heart of Piceno, mostly planted with traditional vines.
Passerina is one of the wines produced by the Numa company, the crasis of the initials of Pier Francesco Liberi's grandfather, namely Nucci Marcello, the inspirer of the project and of much of the land in Val Menocchia that today make up the company's endowment. Pier Francesco relies on traditional grape varieties but also counts on small percentages of international and new plantings of garofanata and grenache grapes that will soon come into full swing. The new and spacious cellar, partly underground, has the best technology and small first-quality barrels. The wines have a contemporary spirit and depth of drinking.
Pasqualino Damiani is a small winemaker who mainly operates with traditional Piceno grape varieties. His style involves rather pronounced maturations in search of flavor and structural thickness. Successful is the application of this formula to Passerina, which thus finds sensations of candied citrus and ripe yellow fruit found in a juicy, rather full but not heavy palate, easy to approach.
Lucrezia 2022 (IGT, pure Passerina) is one of the wines produced by Giovanni "Johnny" Vagnoni owner of Le Caniette company, where the grapes are all owned, grown organically for many years. Only local grape varieties, with the noble exception of Grenache. A cellar of just proportions, well nestled in the vineyard panorama of Contrada Canali, overlooking the Adriatic Sea. Above all, it has remained a craft company, without succumbing to the temptation to greatly expand production, relying on an enviable range for diversification and quality.
ABRUZZO
Controguerra Passerina 2022 by Dino Illuminati is one of the wines produced by the company now led by Lorenzo and Stefano, among the most important companies in the Abruzzo wine scene and the longest-lived in the region. The range offered every year is quite wide: immediate and ready-to-drink wines alternate with ambitious labels, designed for long aging, produced with an intelligently modernist perspective.
LAZIO
Well-made Passerina 2022 by Nuova Cantina di Genazzano Martino V with good tension and sapidity in its tones of aromatic herbs and yellow fruit. The company also produces Martino V Cesanese 2022, of excellent quality, which smells of sour cherries, china, and oriental spices, fresh and gritty, with well-integrated tannins and a soft and persistent finish.
Correct and pleasant Passerina V Santa 2022 by Giovanni Terenzi, who also produces a good level Cesanese.
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