From just 12 hours or so on the twittershpere, it appears that I’ve touched a nerve with some wine-o’s out there. Even the mention of the words “Pinot Grigio” is a bit like kryptonite. But boys and girls, did we learn nothing from last week? In the same way there’s Lambrusco and there’s LAMBRUSCO, there’s Pinot Grigio and there’s PINOT GRIGIO!
I read Ant’s opener a few minutes ago and he’s absolutely spot on. If anyone out there buys themselves a £5 bottle of supermarket special Pinot Grigio then I want you to do two things. Firstly, I want you to go away to a little corner of the room and have a word with yourself. Accept the fact you didn’t enjoy it, and move on with your life. Secondly, don’t bother leave a review, I know what that over acidic crap is like, I don’t need to hear about it again!
When picking out a Pinot Grigio (from the mountains of choice you’ll have) it’s really important to read the label. Mostly for the area in which it comes from. The spiritual home for Pinot Grigio in Italy is the North East, the areas of Alto Adige (in particular Trentino) and Fruili-Venezia.
You’re way up here in the Dolomites, so the grapes are high up, and can stay on the vine longer (giving more balanced flavour) whilst keeping the acidity (the refreshing aftertaste) that has come to be the biggest thing about a good (and bad) Pinot Grigio. Pay up and buy one from one of these regions.
Pinot Grigio is also planted in vast swathes further south, in plains of cheap, flat land. Without the climate, the grapes are picked way too early to keep their “freshness”, so the flavours are all a bit mixed up. This is the £3-£6 stuff. Instead of saving yourself a few quid, you’re actually just wasting your money.
Cheers
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