Bog standard Pinot Grigio. It’s cheap, refreshing, inoffensive, and…did I mention cheap? It’s boring for UK wine drinkers and it’s bad for proper Pinot Grigio producers. Infact it’s only really good for the organized crime who produce it in bulk and ship it over. Not sure I’m meant to say that out loud?! Well, I was down at the Wines of Germany tasting this week, and maybe they’ve got something up their sleeve that can help out.
It’s Another “Pinot”
The Germans call it Weissburgunder. We’d know it better as Pinot Blanc. It’s grown in a range of styles in Austria, France, Italy, and Hungary and, in all fairness, no-one pays it much attention. But in Germany they make it a range of dry to sweet, some barrel fermented in the big German bottes, full of green apple and citrus flavours, just as refreshing as Pinot Grigio, and a damn site more interesting at the value end of the range.
Strong Co-Op Scene
OK, it’s the better £10-£15 Pinot Blancs that had me purring on Tuesday afternoon (like the above from Jens at Werther Windisch), but it is made for cheaper by the strong co-op system the other side of the Rhine. Hey, they might not be able to churn it out for under £5 a bottle, but £7-£8 is do-able, and it’ll be nice and easy drinking. Keep your eye out for it.
Anyone For Würst?
I guess all we need now is for a spate of German restaurants to flourish across the UK to rival the Italians and get it sold…er…
Cheers
