2024 The Little Wine Company Pecorino, Hunter Valley

Pecorino is creating a bit of a buzz in wine circles. It’s been catching the eye of drinkers and winemakers alike for its richer mouthfeel and flavour nicely countered by bright acidity. The Little Wine Company saw the potential early on, this is its fourth release. Spring flowers and summer stone fruits, citrus, apple and pear are busy and fresh and clean and delicious. The grape’s natural enlivening acidity does the job so well, teasing the tastebuds and finishing dry. Drink 2025 to 2038.

92 points Jeni Port for Wine Pilot, January 2025

For most, the name refers to a hard Italian cheese made from sheeps’ milk. There is a link. The grape was given the same name – ‘pecora’ means sheep – as the vines grew along the routes taken by the shepherds when bringing the sheep down from the mountains. Needless to say, it is not a common variety here in Australia but it is certainly worth exploring. It seems well suited to the Hunter with a tolerance for warmer conditions and a lack of water. A green/gold hue, the nose gives us notes of stone fruits, nuts, spices, apricot skins and figs. The structure is a wine of poise, tight, with medium length and crisp acidity. A most likeable wine, one that will provide attractive drinking for up to five years. Those with a touch of the mischievous to them might like to include it in a blind tasting, because good luck to anyone trying to pick it. Drink 2025 to 2030.

92 points Ken Gargett for Wine Pilot, January 2025

Subtle seashells, limes and nectarines on the nose. Bright and generous, with a medium to full body and a lightly phenolic finish. Vegan. Drink now. 

90 points James Suckling, January 2025

Ian and Suzanne Little are both winemakers, both Hunter Valley through and through, and genuinely equal partners in every sense — a combination that's rarer in Australian wine than you might think. Ian has been making wine in the region for over 40 years, while Suzanne oversaw white wines at Rosemount during the era when the local Roxburgh Chardonnay was the benchmark for the variety in Australia. Between them they bring serious credentials to a project that wears them lightly. The Little Wine Company has quietly become one of the Hunter Valley's most interesting producers, built around alternative varieties, made with a light hand and an instinct for balance over extraction.

Pecorino takes its name from the shepherds herding their sheep (pecore) in the mountains of central Italy, where the vines grew along their routes. Ian and Suzanne were among the first to produce it in Australia. The variety holds its flavour and acidity well through the warm Hunter Valley months of December and January, and its naturally lower water demand makes it one of the more sustainable options available.

The fruit is harvested early and moved to the winery quickly, with juice separated from skins as soon as possible. Around 20% is fermented in older French oak for texture, the rest in stainless steel at 14°C. The wine then spends around ten weeks on lees before racking and bottling — enough time to build mouthfeel and weight without losing the freshness.

This is floral and aromatic on the nose with elderflower, stone fruit and citrus, and a saline, savoury edge keeping it honest. The palate is textural and generous, with bright natural acidity driving the fruit through a dry, refreshing finish.

The wine's acidity and textural richness are good company for anything fresh and flavoursome: pea and mint risotto with a grating of pecorino (the cheese), salt and pepper squid with aioli, or a simple grilled snapper with lemon and herbs.

A versatile and food-friendly wine from the moment you open it, with the structure to develop further interest over a few years.

Drink now through 2028.