I have always loved how crisp and acidic and refreshing Italian Pinot Grigio`s tend to be but I never really thought all that much about it when I worked as a server. It was one of those wines you just order after work because it`s nice and it works for any occasion on the patio (or off the patio for that matter).
Italian Pinot Grigio's generally come from North Eastern Italy where the climate can be a little chilly thanks to the altitude form the mountains and it's proximity to Austria and Slovenia as you move north and east respectively. These conditions are perfect for making a wine that's very acidic, and full of green fruit and citrus.
I had a small taste of the wine I'm going to tell you about today - Villa Chiopris Pinot Grigio - several months ago when it was being served at a function I was working and I thought it was pretty nice. I also thought it was well worth the $30/bottle the host was paying. When I started working in a wine store, I realized this bottle actually sells for $18-$19. An even better value for the taste it provides.
Since it's so nice out, I decided to retry this wine and test out it's abilities to refresh on a summer's day. Unfortunately it's not quite as good as I remember it, but I think that might have been partly due to the different circumstances in which I tried this wine. It is, as I remembered, crisp with good minerality, strong green fruit notes like green apple and lime and a pleasant mouthfeel that's not too rich but not too thin.
While I think it's a wine best enjoyed with food, it's also not too bad on it's own. Although it might be what some people call a little too 'sour' on the palate due to the high acidity, citrus and green apple so common of these wines.
Another great thing about Italian Pinot Grigio's is that they are easy to find in our market at a relatively inexpensive price point. $15-$25 on average with a quality that's pretty stable across the board.
Enjoy!!
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