Hi all,
March is already here (still on the detox regime?) and we're a few days shy of a beautiful Spring. To pre-celebrate the early arrival of Spring this year, I've gone on a quest for some tipples full of spring!
This week, I tested three Pinot Grigio to come up with this week's wine. A real Pinot Grigio with lovely Spring flavours for £9.99 and worth it!
Special thanks to Liz&John, Jehan, Mathieu and Clare for their precious help!
What it is:
A dry white wine made from Pinot Grigio grapes in Fruili in the North-East of Italy.
What to expect:
Appearance: bright lemon-green.
Nose: elegant & subtle nose of flowers (elderflower) and citrus (grapefruit).
Palate: the wine is fresh and youthful with a crisp acidity, medium body and strong flavours of citrus fruits (mainly grapefruit) with a longer and pleasant light tangy finish. The alcohol is well-integrated and the balance between acidity and fruit is great.
Contrary to most supermarket Pinot Grigio, it is 1. Delicate & elegant 2. High in acidity and no sugar-coating, syrupy mouthfeel.
AN FRESH, ELEGANT, TANGY PINOT GRIGIO OF MUCH BETTER QUALITY VS. SOME SUPERMARKET PINOT GRIGIO.
Score: 7/10 (wine shown)
You’ll like it if you like: grapefruit (but not necessarily), dry Italian wines e.g. Soave, Pinot Blanc.
Have it with:
- A Salmon tartare or just a mild smoked salmon, parsley and lemon.
- A grilled white fish (e.g. hake) with mediterranean vegetables
- Some chicken & grapefruit salad or a grapefruit glazed chicken breast.
Where to find it:
- Talking Wines (Cirencester or online) - £9.95. Worth investing the few more quids. 7/10
- Waitrose - £5.99 (reduced from £8.49) - LaVis Storie di Vite Pinot Grigio. Light-bodied, off-dry wine with generic white peach & melon flavours. Very chilled on a warm Spring day. 5/10.
- Tesco - £4.99 (Half price) - Dino Pinot Grigio. Light bodied wine with generic syrupy white peach flavours. Definitely not worth £9.99; more £3.99. 4/10.
Did you know?
> Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for the French grape Pinot Gris, also found in Alsace, New-Zealand, Germany ('Grauburgunder'), Oregon, Romania and Hungary (Szurkebarat).
> In Italy, most of the Pinot Grigio is produced in three different regions of the North-east of Italy: Veneto, Alto Adige and Friuli. The Veneto is where the bulk of it comes from, Alto Adige produces more aromatic Pinot Grigio while Friuli Grave produces the best and richest.
> The plantings of Pinot Grigio have more than doubled since 1990 to face the ever-increasing demand.
> The Pinot Gris grape can take greyish blue to brownish colour when it ripens. The grape is susceptible to drying on the vine and noble rot.
> The dilute, neutral & nearly colourless mass-produced Italian Pinot Grigio have done a lot of damage to a variety that can produce some superb quality and complex wines like in Alsace or Germany.
Enjoy your wine this weekend!
:@lex!
