The Italy Wine Project

Regions / Marche

DOCGStill huntingModerate

Offida DOCG

Offida is the home turf of Pecorino, the grape that Cocci Grifoni rescued from near extinction in the 1980s. Offida Pecorino is taut and high in acid, with green apple, sage, white pepper, chamomile and a mineral bitterness on the finish, often carrying 14 percent alcohol without feeling heavy. Offida Passerina is softer and more citrusy, and Offida Rosso is a full Montepulciano-based red with dark cherry and dusty tannin that needs two years of aging by law. The whites are the reason to care: they age surprisingly well and pair with the region's seafood and fried olives.

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Bottles I'm chasing

ProducerWinePriceBuy
Ciù Ciù
Offida Pecorino Evoè
Organic, widely imported and a good everyday example: green apple, fennel and a saline snap.
$15 to $20Wine-Searcher
Velenosi
Offida Pecorino Villa Angela
The region's biggest quality-focused house; fuller bodied with pear, sage and a creamy mid palate from lees contact.
$18 to $24Wine-Searcher
Tenuta Cocci Grifoni
Offida Pecorino Colle Vecchio
From the family that revived the grape; more structured, with beeswax, white pepper and a long bitter almond finish.
$22 to $30Wine-Searcher