Passarina

Passerina is both a rare local white grape that is found in the Italian region of Marche, and a DOCG and DOC for wines of the same name. Many researchers have studied its identity, so to boast an extensive bibliography and a high number of citations of the grapes on the most famous treatises of ampelography. Passerina is used in some Marche wine blends, including the DOC Falerio dei Colli Ascolani.
The majority of Passerina vines are to be found in Marche’s Piceno province (of Rosso Piceno fame such as the DOCG Offida Passarina from Tenute Santori), but there are also significant plantings all across central Italy, in Abruzzo, Emilia-Romagna and Lazio.
The variety differs considerably from region to region in terms of the wine it makes, but a familiar character of ripe citrus fruit unites Passerina wines. In Marche, the wines are sharper with an intense minerality whereas, on Italy’s west coast, in Lazio, the wines are softer with an almost creamy texture. Some ampelographers have suggested that Passerina is not one grape variety but several, a hypothesis which is supported by this regional flavour disparity.
“Passera/Passero” is the Italian word for “sparrow”, the bird known to Italian vine growers for its voracious appetite for ripe Passerina grapes. The Italian “–ina” suffix is a diminutive, and indicates the relatively small size of Passerina grapes. Passerina vines have mid-sized, pentagonal leaves and small grapes, which grow in medium-to-large clusters. The berry’s skin is quite thick and ripens to a deep golden colour. The grapes ripen with a high level of natural sugars and have correspondingly high acidity, making for balanced wines in all but the hottest sites.