Italy, Veneto IGT
$8.99 from The Fresh Market specialty food store
Paired this wine with a delicious shrimp pasta (with diced tomatoes, artichoke hearts, olive oil, lemon and capers). Jen also used a little of the wine in the pasta recipe.
Visually, this wine had me worried…it is almost as colorless as a glass of water. However, this was deceiving, for the nose was more pronounced than expected, and was actually quite pleasant and inviting. The predominant aromas were honeydew melon, grass and maybe some floral components. There was also a slight rubbing alcohol odor hiding in the background, which troubled me just a little. Checking the alcohol content (about 12%) eased my fears of it coming across too hot.
On the palate, this wine delivered. It was quite well balanced, with mild acidity and plenty of citrus flavors on the mid palate. The finish was short but pleasant and left somewhat of a full-mouth feel at the end. It wasn’t a complex wine, but I found it very refreshing and paired perfectly with the citrus and saltiness of the shrimp pasta.
For $8.99, this is definitely a good value wine and exceeded my expectations for a cheap Italian white. It is perfect for sipping by itself (warm sunsets on the deck come to mind), or paired with any light dish like scallops or tilapia, a sandwich or fruit & mild cheeses. I’m giving it 3 stars in my log, and will likely buy a few bottles to keep on hand for this summer.
2 comments:
I never thought I would be a fan of Pinot Grisio, but I took the advice of Gary Vanerchuck and decided to expand my "pal". I found this wine to be both refreshing and enjoyable. I think this review really was true to the wine's characteristics. For $8.99 you can't go wrong.
I had a Cakebread Cellars Sauvignon Blanc about a month ago, and I have to say that I found it to be a little too astringent. If I had to choose between the two, I would go with the Pinot Grisio. In my opinion, it can certainly hold its own against the Cakebread and is MUCH less expensive.
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