21 Oct

Pinot Gris / Pinot Grigio: The Denim of White Wine

Pinot Gris is the wine world’s answer to denim. Sipping a glass of easy-drinking, affordable Pinot Gris is like throwing on your favorite well-worn pair of jeans. Both are about kicking back and getting comfortable.

Core Words for Pinot Grigio:

  • Dry: Most bottlings of Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are considered dry though wines labeled Pinot Gris often sport a whisper of sweetness. It’s not that sugar is added to the wine as many people think, rather that a little of the sweet grape juice was left unfermented during the making of the wine. The wines won’t taste sweet like some Rieslings, for example, but will be juicy and fruity.
  • Crisp or Smooth: When grapes are grown in cool climates or harvested earlier as they often are in northern Italy, the wine tastes crisp and vibrant. If the grapes are grown in a warmer climate such as Alsace or Oregon, the acidity is lower and the final wine tends tastes softer and smoother.
  • Light and Medium-Bodied: Pinot Grigios tend to be lighter-bodied and Pinot Gris medium-bodied. In Alsace, however, the Pinot Gris can be so full and fleshy it almost needs a girdle to contain itself.

Here’s one of our favorite appetizers to pair with Pinot Grigio:

Figs and Goat Cheese: Cut fresh figs in half. Place face up on cookie sheet top each fig half with a dollop of goat cheese. Broil just until bubbly. Squeeze a dash of lemon juice on top and sprinkle with salt and cracked black pepper. Serve as finger food at room temperature.

What are your suggestions for appetizers that go well with Pinot Grigio?

20 Apr

Savvy Sipping: Exotic Whites for Uncorking Spring

As appeared on TodayShow.com Bites on April 20, 2011. 

When the weather warms, I ache for the exotic.A Chardonnay lover and Sauvignon Blanc devotee I like to sip the familiar, but I know there’s more to explore. Heard

of Torrontes, Roussanne or Albarino? Each of these grape varieties will widen yourwine horizons.

Not sure what to try? Just like you have styles of clothing that you mix and match fora desired ensemble, think of swapping out wines by style. If you choose Chardonnay

because you like a richer, fuller style of white, then you might enjoy another winelike Grenache Blanc with some of the same characteristics.

Use my style guide and recommended wines to try as a shopping list. Go ahead … take a springtime sip on the wild side.

If you like Chardonnay … try Roussanne or Grenache Blanc

Chardonnay is generally a rich white with tropical fruit flavors and creamy texture. Roussanne and Grenache Blanc are white grape varieties that can offer similarly styled dry wines. Both grapes hail from the Rhone region of France (along with sister grapes Viognier and Marsanne) and offer aromas of ripe fruit and often a hintof nutty smoothness. These grape varieties are planted from Spain to Australia and

France to California so enjoy the journey.

Wines to try:Yangarra spring wines

• Yangarra Roussanne, McLaren Vale, Australia $22

• Zaca Mesa Roussanne, Santa Ynez Valley, California $25

• Tablas Creek Grenache Blanc, Paso Robles, California $25

• Bonny Doon “Le Cigare Blanc” Arroyo Seco, California $22 (a blend of both Grenache Blanc and Roussanne)

• Perrin & Fils “Les Sinards” Chateauneuf-du-Pape Blanc, France $40 (mostly Grenache Blanc)

If you like Pinot Grigio … try Soave and Orvieto.

Though there are world-class producers of Pinot Grigio, the majority of bottles are simply light and lemony. For a similar style with more intensity, look for Italianwhites named Soave and Orvieto. Both are named for places in Italy — Soave in the north around Verona and Orvieto in central Italy in Umbria — and both made not with Grigio grapes but other G’s – grapes named Garganega and Grechetto. These wines are crisp, zesty and often complex.

Vin Soave springwineWines to try:

• Inama Soave Classico, Italy $15

• Pieropan “La Rocca” Soave Classico, Italy $35

• Ruffino Orvieto Classico, Italy $10

• Antinori Santa Cristina “Campogrande” Orvieto Classico, Italy $12

If you like Sauvignon Blanc … try Albarino.

Sauvignon Blanc is a grape known for its mouth-puckering freshness and touch of herbal aromas. It’s sassy and classy at the same time. Another variety you might loveif you’re an SB fan finds its home primarily in Spain. Albarino is a juicy, succulent white from an area named Rias Baixas (pronounced ree-ahsh bi-shus) situated onthe west coast of Spain just above Portugal. Its seaside location makes Albarino- based wines the ideal partner for all types of fish, salads, and fresh-from-the-gardenfare. (There are even a few versions from California to sample.)

Wines to try:

• Martin Codax Albarino Rias Baixas, Spain $13

• Fillaboa Albarino Rias Baixas, Spain $18

• Vionta Albarino Rias Baixas, Spain $19

• Terras Gauda “O Rosal” Rias Baixas, Spain $24 (blend of Albarino and othergrapes like Loureira and Caino Branco)

• Tangent Albarino “Paragon Vineyard” Edna Valley, California $17

If you like Viogner or Gewürztraminer … try Torrontes.

Aromatic wines such as Viognier or Gewurztraminer are like perfume for the palate. Spicy, floral aromas mix it up with ripe fruit flavors in usually dry-styled whites.If you enjoy drinking these types of wines, add Torrontes to your list. With peach blossom scents wafting from the glass, Torrontes fools you into thinking its sweet. Most, however, are dry and lusciously fruity. Crisp yet creamy these wines are produced in Argentina from areas such as Mendoza and the high valley of Cafayate. Torrontes spring wine

Wines to try:

• Acordeon Torrontes Cafayate, Argentina $9

• Familia Zuccardi “Santa Julia” Torrontes, Mendoza, Argentina $10

• Dominio del Plata “Crios de Susana Balbo” Torrontes, Cafayate, Argentina$14

• Bodega Tamari, Torrontes, La Rioja, Argentina $15

If you like sweeter Riesling … try Moscato.

What is one of the fastest growing categories of wine? Moscato. It’s slightly sweet, often bubbly and always delicious. The explosively aromatic white is appealingto just about everyone. It pairs with a wide range of foods, too, from spicy Kung Pao chicken to apricots dipped in dark chocolate. Lower in alcohol than mostother whites, it’s a quaffer to quench your thirst. Most Moscato hails from Italy but

Californian versions are coming on fast as the grape rises in popularity.

Wines to try:

• Saracco Moscato d’Asti, Italy $16

• Caposaldo Moscato, Italy $14

• La Badia Moscato d’Asti, Italy $20

• Middle Sister “Sweet and Sassy” Moscato, California $12

• St. Supery Moscato, Napa Valley, California $20

Can’t decide? These blends are all made with a mix of grapes such as Riesling,Chardonnay, Pinot Gris, Viognier, Roussanne, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and

Muscat to name a few. All have a whisper of sweetness making them ideal for exoticspringtime sipping.

Wines to try:

• Waterbrook Melange Blanc, Columbia Valley, Washington $15waterbrook springwines

• Peter Lehmann “Layers” Adelaide, Australia $16

• Evolution American White wine from Sokol Blosser Winery $17

(all prices are approximate and vary depending upon market)