Many people, including moi, have a hard time warming up to Pinot Grigio. Maybe during your 20s you sucked down flat glasses of Pinot Grigio at cheap pizza joints during the wee hours of the morning. Or you sipped, time and time again, the “house” white wine during Happy Hour only to learn that it’s Pinot Grigio.
With such a tarnished reputation, much like the California Merlot Syndrome (where excellent quality Merlot is harder to suss out), what is a Pinot Grigio producer to do in order to rise above the masses?
Fortunately you have me to sip and sample on your behalf. Here are four Pinot Grigio wines I recently enjoyed. If you’re searching for food pairings, a fish free of creamy, spicy sauces or accompaniments is the best solution for these humidity-plagued evenings. Or, consider it an imported patio pounder.
2010 Double Decker Pinot Grigio (California, $10) is clean and crisp, with a hint of Granny Smith apples and lime on the finish. Because it’s aged in stainless-steel, there is not a trace of oak on the palate. (www.doubledeckerwines.com)
2011 Cupra Ramato Attems Pinot Grigio (Friuli-Venezia Giuila, Italy, $19) demonstrates a surprising orange hue in the glass, yielding honeysuckle notes and a vanilla finish. There are more minerals than acidity on the palate, which makes this a nice seafood wine. (www.attems.it)
2009 Pietra Santa Winery “Amore” Pinot Grigio (Cienega Valley, California, $24) is made from estate-grown grapes and has nice effervescence with prominent notes of mango and passion fruit. (www.pietrasantawinery.com)
2011 Banfi “San Angelo” Pinot Grigio (Montalcino, Tuscany, Italy, $14) is light in body yet full of honeyed lime and grapefruit notes that lead to a clean finish. (www.castellobanfi.com)
WINE DEAL OF THE WEEK
Industri Café in Walker’s Point is fresh off a renovation that added a private dining room and some snazzy interior décor from local design firm Flux Design. But there is other news to report, my wine-loving friends. Did you know that $6 glasses of wine are poured on Wednesday evenings staring at 6 p.m.? And, bottles of wine are marked down by 25 percent? I checked out the café’s wine list to insure this is a sweet deal. And it is. (Bonus: Co-proprietor Robert Klemm does not believe, as many restaurants do, in marking wines up 200 percent above their wholesale price.) A bottle of Taittinger “La Francaise” Brut Champagne (France), which Wine Enthusiast awarded 91 points and Wine Spectator 90 points, is normally $69 on Industri Café’s wine list – and $52 on a Wednesday night. Normally it would retail for around $45. Now, who is with me in thinking this is an awesome excuse for a late lunch?
WINE EVENT OF THE WEEK
With this sweltering heat, are you daydreaming of jetting off to somewhere else –anywhere cooler than triple-digit temps? If so, then France’s Loire Valley – which doesn’t typically peak higher than the mid-80s during summer – should be foremost on your mind, especially when it comes to the region’s white wines. Next week, Thief Wine Shop & Bar is hosting “White Wines of the Loire Valley” (July 10 at 6 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. at Milwaukee Public Market; and 6 p.m. and 8 p.m. at Shorewood). For a price of $15, you’ll taste Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Melon de Bourgogne. Call 277-7707 (Milwaukee Public Market) or 906-1906 (Shorewood) to sign up.
WINE OF THE WEEK
With slices of cherry pie, fresh raspberries topping ice cream and blueberries to nibble on too, I find Petite Sirah to be a really good match with these summer berry treats. Coming from Lodi, California, which is about 90 minutes west of San Francisco, and an up-and-coming wine region, 2010 Michael David Winery “Petite Petit” ($18) is a blend of 85% Petite Sirah and 15% Petit Verdot grapes, resulting in concentrated black-currant notes accented by vanilla that coast effortlessly into a long finish. (www.michaeldavidwinery.com)
