Pinot grigio is wildly popular for a good reason. Here’s where the best ones come from.
The best quality pinot grigio comes from subregions like Trentino, Alto Adige, and Friuli.
Italian pinot grigio is one of the most popular imported wines in the U.S., but one result of that success has been a tarnished reputation that leads delicious examples like this one to be overlooked simply because they cost a few dollars more.
As white wine grapes go, pinot grigio is an odd duck on many levels. It is a grape of French origin that is better known by an Italian name. Its fruit is used for white-winemaking but consists of grapes that look dusky purple on the vine. Indeed, it is technically not a true “grape variety” in its own right in botanical terms, but rather a paler-skinned mutation of a prized red grape variety: pinot noir.
Pinot grigio was originally known as pinot gris and found its way from France to northern Italy by way of German-speaking regions in between. Known as grauer burgunder in Germany and Austria, it proved adept there at producing pleasant wines even when harvested before reaching full ripeness. Early harvests mitigate many of a grower’s risk factors, from bad weather to rot and disease, making brisk, lightweight pinot grigio a sensible crop in regions with short growing seasons and high humidity. These traits led to this grape’s widespread adoption in northeastern Italy, from the muggy plains surrounding Venice up into the alpine foothills of the Dolomites.
The best quality is found in subregions like Trentino, Alto Adige, and Friuli, as with this lovely wine grown near the Austrian border. Where cheaper pinot grigios can taste watery and bland, this crisp, clean dry wine features flavors of fresh yellow pears and ripe kiwi that bring us back for a second glass. It’s hard to beat as a food partner, shining with everything from shrimp cocktail to roasted chicken to sweet corn on the cob.
Bottega Vinaia pinot grigio
Trentino, Italy; 12.5% ABV
PLCB Item #4097
On sale for $17.99 (regularly $19.99) through Aug. 31
Also available at the Original Canal’s Discount Liquor Outlet in Glassboro, N.J. ($15.99, canalsofglassboro.com)
