Passerina is a white grape or rather a bunch of white grapes that are labeled as Passerina, however they are not all the same. Making things even harder is that Passerina is super versatile and can be made into still, sparkling, and/or sweet/passito wines. It is found in Le Marche, Abruzzo, and Lazio. The first Passerina I tasted was from Velenosi Vini many years ago. They make a host of wines with this grape variety including a sparkling Charmat Brut, and still wines under the Villa Angela Offida DOCG, and Passerina Le Marche IGT denomination. Through the years I have also tried the Passerina del Frusinate IGT in Lazio from Casale della Ioria. I have never tried one from Abruzzo but hopefully will find one to try at Vinitaly this year.

The grape has pretty large berries and it is very vigorous and a constant producer that is also disease resistant. It is a great grape for spring and summer fare, light and crisp with white floral notes and a touch of sweetness on the finish. Very friendly wine it’s hard to choose which version I prefer, perhaps the sparkling or sweet.