Passerina

Passerina is a white Italian wine grape of the central Adriatic, grown mainly in the Marche and Abruzzo with a little in Lazio. Its name is usually traced to passero ('sparrow'), for the birds said to favor its ripe golden berries. Ampelographers note that several biotypes circulate under the name, so it may in fact be a small group of related varieties rather than a single one.

It is prized above all for its bright, high acidity, which makes it a natural base for fresh still whites as well as sparkling, frizzante, and passito/Vin Santo styles. Aromas run to ripe citrus and light tropical fruit. In the Marche it is one of the three flagship typologies of the Offida DOCG and the sole grape of the sweet-and-sparkling Terre di Offida DOC, and it is also a component of Falerio.