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Author: Mike Madaio

Harvest in Montefalco

Mike Madaio Umbria, _reD 8 Comments
enologica-montefalco dancers

As I weave through the packed Piazza del Comune in the center of Montefalco, joy – in the form of food, wine and their spoils – engulfs and consumes me. To my right, an old man is slicing prosciutto by hand from the leg, while hungry onlookers wait their turn for a slice. A few tractors over (that’s right, tractors), townsfolk sandwich salumi between wedges of fresh bread, handing out makeshift panini as fast as they can make them. As I spot an eager man slurping soup, even while the steamy sun beats down upon us – probably the only way to get a vegetable on this day – a woman thrusts a makeshift platter of biscotti in my face, desperate for takers.

festival1

A few yards away, tweens in flowing burlap dresses with sunflowers in their hair dance innocently, alongside an impromptu acoustic guitar jam. Onlookers reach for cameras to document younger girls pressing grapes the old fashioned way, rose-colored juice trickling between their toes into nearby pitchers. Sweaty boys engage in an intense soccer match with an invisible ball, darting in and out of longer legs. The teenagers, they’re roaming the backstreets, celebrating a day of freedom. Finally the old folks, wizened faces showing the toll of many vendemme, yet incapable of fully hiding that immortal sense of wonder.

It’s the culmination of Enologica 2015, the region’s annual harvest festival. A weeklong celebration that includes wine tastings, cooking demonstrations, seminars and more. The early part is more geared towards press and trade, with serious presentations, panels – one of which, on Sagrantino around the world, included yours truly, representing the ol’ US of A – and the like.

As interesting as tastings and discussions are, the jewel of the event is clearly the vendemmia, an old school, traditional festival that brings out locals and tourists alike. (Having just spent the week getting to know this amazing town, I must, of course, admit to looking down at the day-trippers with disdain.)

enologica montefalco vendemmia tractor

At 3pm on Sunday – actually a few minutes before, the only thing that ever started on time in Italy – tractors begin to enter the square, one by one, each representing a locality of grape growers in the region, 18 in all, plus one horse-pulled carriage and several donkeys. They’re decorated uniquely and carry anywhere from a few members of the tribe to a whole bunch of revelers.

As they creep into the square, horns blaring and motors revving, each tractor tries to outdo the next with bravado, cheer, daring or creativity. Singing is more about vocal histrionics, loud and enthusiastic if not on key. From our vantage at one of the cafes that line the square – where we camped out early to secure a spot (not free but worth it) – I notice a young boy’s terrified-yet-excited face as he sits on his dad’s lap, leading the tractor into town for the first time. Then comes a man we affectionately nickname “the Don,” sporting a shit eating grin, arms spread wide riding on the front of the tractor as it rolls in.

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enologica montefalco vendemmia tractor

The towns with many children tend to be more mellow, sharing smiles and waves, while those without kids prove more raucous, “clinking” their plastic cups, slurring words (at 3pm), swaying back and forth. It’s a wonder if these people make it to sundown.

enologica montefalco vendemmia tractor

Once everyone’s had their turn to preen and showboat, food is served – no charge for anyone who’s there – as described above, alongside liberal amounts of Sagrantino wine (also gratis). The square becomes a wild, wonderful, free-for-all, onlookers and explorers sampling a variety of fare, enjoying a sunny, warm day, and sharing in the revelry. It’s a simple celebration, hearkening back to days of yore, a community celebrating its very lifeblood, and successful survival of another year.

Surely other towns in Italy (and beyond) welcome the harvest in a similar manner, but, standing in the middle of this mass of people, sharing smiles, cries of joy, and a shared purpose, it’s hard not to think — at least for a moment — that this is the most important one.

enologica

This post was my entry in the #ItalianFWT group’s #FallinItaly theme for October 2016. Check out the other entries below:

Rigatoni alla Gricia

Mike Madaio Lazio, _reD 1 Comment
pasta alla gricia

#VirtualSagra‘s recent spotlight on the eternal Spaghetti all’Amatriciana got me thinking about the holy trinity of Roman dishes: Amatrice’s famous contribution of course, alongside Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe. All quintessentially Roman with their balance of simplicity and flavor, classic recipes that naturally attract a certain amount of fervor and devotion. (And don’t even get me started about the additions!)

On my last visit to Rome, however, I tried another typical Roman pasta for the first time: Rigatoni alla Gricia. A dish that some — quite sensibly, in fact — refer to as the foundation for both Carbonara and Amatriciana. Others call it Amatriciana in Bianca. Me, I see it more as a cross between Carbonara and Cacio e Pepe. Either way, it simple and comforting yet rich, intense flavor fits the mold quite well.

Gricia is, essentially, Cacio e Pepe with guanciale. Carbonara without egg. Or Amatriciana without tomato. (I’ve fallen into the same trap!) In actuality, the latter is probably the most accurate, since many believe it was the precursor to the red sauce, before tomatoes were abundant available in the region. The name is also thought to come from Grisciano, a town just north of Amatrice.

guanciale

Gricia involves only a few ingredients. Pork (preferably guanciale, though pancetta is a reasonable substitute), Pecorino cheese, black pepper and pasta. That’s all. So simple, yet so luscious. As the Romans do best.

Another famously Roman aspect of this dish is controversy over its ingredients. Onions? White Wine? Italians take these seemingly minor ingredient suggestions as sacrosanct. Last year, when celebrity chef Carlo Cracco suggested adding onions to the dish on MasterChef Italia, it became headline material across the country. (It didn’t help that he’d, horrifyingly, suggested adding garlic to Amatriciana just days before.)

guanciale2

If we put those blasphemous additions aside for the moment, the technique is quite simple:

  1. Cook pasta
  2. Brown the guanciale over medium heat. (If you like you can add some EVOO or lard to get the process going, though it isn’t entirely necessary.)
  3. Add black pepper to pan.
  4. Add a ladel of pasta water to the pork.
  5. Mix in some grated hard Pecorino (I prefer an aged version other than Romano, which can be too salty.)
  6. Add pasta and cheese and mix. Use more pasta water if it sticks.
  7. Serve with more cheese on top.

As with our findings related to pairing wine with Carbonara, looks can be deceiving here. Just because it’s light in color doesn’t mean it’ll match to white wine. The fatty pork and the aged cheese suggest — nay, demand — a hearty red. Any quality Central Italian should do the trick; in our case, an IGT rosso from Montefalco matched quite well.

rigatonia alla gricia

New Wines in Old Country

Mike Madaio Puglia, _reD , 1 Comment
New Wines in Old Country

I recently connected online with Natalia Pezzone, who –along with her husband Nicola — is in the process of opening Cantina Primo Re, a boutique winery in the Salento region of Puglia that’s focused (for now) on indigenous reds. As so many wineries in Italy have been around for many years (sometimes centuries!), I thought it would be a good opportunity to learn about the trials and tribulations of opening a new one. Our conversation follows…

When was the idea for Cantina Primo Re originally conceived?
Since Nicola and I met in 2009 [in Argentina, where Natalia is from], we’ve always dreamed of having a small business to run together, and to avoid working for other companies. Because of Nicola’s strong passion for wine (that I quickly learned to share), it was an easy decision to open a winery. We had the [family] vineyards, we had the qualifications and international experience (Nicola holds a master degree in Viticulture and Enology), and we had the spirit. But we didn’t have the money!

A financial crisis was hitting southern Italy quite hard at the same time, and it was almost impossible to secure a job there. We traveled and lived in several different countries, working hard to save our money. As soon as we had enough, we moved back to Italy to realize our dream. It took us more than 5 years, but we did it! (Well, we’re almost there…)

As a non-Italian, what has your experience been with the infamous Italian bureaucracy?
Everybody thinks it is hard in their own country, but I’ve lived on several different continents, and can say without question that nothing comes close to Italian bureaucracy! Honestly, it’s the worst part of being in Italy.

Our wines are ready to go, carefully aging in barrels until the day we bottle and launch them in the market. Which was supposed to happen in August. Then in September. Then we had to say October. Do you know when we’ll be able to finally put our wines in the market? MARCH 2017. For several reasons – hard to understand and even harder to explain – we won’t have the authorization for starting the commercial activity until next spring. We HOPE.

A funny note: the only easy thing we had to do before launching our wines was getting registered by The Vegan Society. Do you know why was it simple? Because they’re British!!!!! Whatever step does not include Italians is a piece of cake!

cantinaprimore-view

Apart from the bureaucracy, what were your biggest challenges?
Another challenge for us was launching organic wines that were suitable for vegans and vegetarians.

We’re not the only ones that produce organic wines in Puglia, but we’re one of the few organic wineries in the area. It’s not the same to produce 20 different wines, of which one is organic, than to be completely organic. In our case, not only the vineyards but our olive trees, our vegetable lands, and even the aromatic herbs I grow in the garden. We produce ONLY organic food. I don’t understand these industrial wineries that launch an organic line of wines. What’s the point of growing one hectare of organic vineyard, if the other ones are not? It shows that they don’t actually believe in sustainable agriculture; they just do it for commercial reasons.

So the big challenge is to help our customers understand this difference, and how dedicated we are to all details and producing only high quality, healthy wines.

Why is it important to you to have vegan wines?
We shouldn’t have to talk about “vegan wine”; it’s like talking about “vegan lettuce”. Wine is a grape derivative, so shouldn’t it always be ok for vegans and vegetarians?

Yet we do, because many wineries – and this is something that a lot of people ignore – use additives and ingredients of an animal origin to produce wines: albumin, gelatin, isinglass, some lysozymes, etc. So a vegetable product, a derived from grapes, becomes something else. This forces us to demonstrate that our wines had none of these additives inside, because we want to ensure to everybody – not only vegans; we’re not even vegan ourselves – that our wines are made from grapes and nothing else. That’s why we registered our products with The Vegan Society, the oldest and only international association that created the word “vegan” in the ‘40s.

primo-re-grapes

Though there’s certainly a winemaking tradition in Puglia, one could argue it’s more known for bulk wines than fine wines. What is your take on the area as an up-and-coming spot?
We have in Puglia one of the largest areas of vineyards of all of Italy, and it’s true that traditionally wine growers have chosen quantity upon quality. Historically, many northern Italian wines were blended with juice from Puglia, which offers high natural sugar levels and adds structure, body and flavor to wine produced in colder areas.

This situation, however, started to change around 20 years ago, when many producers from Puglia began to understand that that our land has everything to produce high quality wines. Now there are many excellent wineries that produce only fine wines, and people are recognizing them more and more.  And we’re proud to be part of this movement!

You originally went to Veterinary School. Did you ever think you’d be opening a small winery in southern Italy?
Absolutely no! Wine wasn’t even that important for me until I met Nicola. What I did now is that my previous career wasn’t making me happy. I used to be a researcher who worked in laboratories, and staying inside a lab all day was killing me. I dreamed to work in the fields, with livestock, but it’s very difficult to get a job like that when you’re a woman, at least in Argentina.

One day I just decided that my life so far wasn’t the kind of life I wanted to live, and gave up everything. I quit my jobs and started a journey – literally and spiritually as well – that took me to live in different countries, with different people and made me realize that what I really wanted was to have something of my own to grow and take care of. Something that represents a real challenge where it’s up to me (or us, in this case) whether it succeeds or not. That’s what Primo Re Winery is today: a big challenge and the more important project so far in my life, where I can put all my effort and knowledge.

primo-re

What, if anything, from your previous career are you able to apply to this new one?
A lot of things! Obviously not my knowledge of medicine, but as a Vet I was quite atypical anyway. I used to write a lot of projects, papers, presentations, and learned English as all researchers must do. I’ve been writing since I was a kid and it’s one of the things I enjoy the most (as you can see….!). I also have strong computer skills and I’m very practical and love problem solving – a consequence of my previous career. Vets have to solve problems quickly and effectively, as there is rarely time to lose.

So for Primo Re, I created the whole brand concept, the graphic & marketing material, and developed the website and e-shop. I also manage all the social networks and wrote 100% of the words that you will read about us. We saved a lot of money actually because we split all the tasks: Nicola works in the vineyards and the winery, and I do all the brand and communication. So far it’s working!

What’s the most surprising thing that happened along the way?
We were amazed – and still are every day — by the great response we’ve gotten from people that believe in us and joined this project since the beginning. I’m talking specially about our Wine Club (“Cultori del Vino” — wine lovers), that we have developed through our social networks. It’s a different concept; a wine club where the emphasis is not on sales but on building a community of wine enthusiasts.

I posted things like “Do you love wine and writing? If yes, contact us“, and started to receive emails from the curious. I didn’t know what to expect, but I could not believe the large number of emails I received! I explained early and often that it wasn’t a job offer, so people that wrote me were just looking for fun, not money. I even met one of our film reviewers thanks to this post, and coincidentally she lives in a town near to mine. We’ve become friends.

There’s much more that you’ll see when our full website goes live; stories of wine and food, content about related books, music and movies. The key concept is that ALL this content is created BY wine drinkers themselves, not FOR them. This is not for selling wine, but for creating a club of people that shares our love for wine — 300 so far and we still don’t have a bottle to sell. I knew it was a good idea — I’m passionate about the sharing economy — but I’m extremely surprised and satisfied about how fast this idea was understood. I guess people like our ideas!

primo-re-natalia-nicola

#VirtualSagra

Mike Madaio News, _reD 6 Comments
sagra amatriciana

Update (10/19): World Pasta Day 2016 (October 25) falls on the 2 month anniversary of the Central Italy Earthquake that shook the Rieti province and completely destroyed the historical city of Amatrice. A NYC-based company called Eatiamo is celebrating and helping to keep the donations coming… for more info, read their 5 Ways You Can Make a Difference.

This weekend (August 27-28, 2016) would’ve been the 50th (!) Amatriciana Festival in Amatrice, the Italian town most affected by this devastating earthquake. To show our support, my idea is that we participate in a #VirtualSagra this weekend. Interested? Read the steps below and share with friends and contacts! Let’s make this happen!

The weekend is over and #VirtualSagra was a huge success! If you didn’t participate, that’s ok. The affected areas need long-term support, so please continue to cook Amatriciana and donate funds!

Steps to Join in:

  1. Donate to earthquake relief – suggestions:
  2. Cook Amatriciana, or order it at a restaurant — This great post by Judy discusses the technique
  3. Open any Central Italian red wine (or appropriately-themed beverage)
  4. Take photo
  5. Share as widely as possible on social media with #VirtualSagra

#VirtualSagra Coverage:

This Tagboard shows some of the social media posts supporting the cause.

Bloggers came together to celebrate and donate. Here are a few of the great posts that covered the event:

Plus, these media outlets promoted the fundraiser:

Thanks to everyone who donated!

The White-Headed Stepchild

Mike Madaio Alto Adige, _reD 0 Comment
pinot bianco

Reviewing my recent piece on Pinot Grigio’s lack of respect, Pinot Bianco might rightfully take issue with its cousin’s penchant for hogging the attention. While neither can boast widespread critical acclaim, at least the gray mutation of Pinot Noir is a best-seller. Bianco, on the other hand, is often relegated to background variety status.

Rarely grown in its native region of Burgundy, Pinot Blanc — as it’s called in most of the English-speaking world — has found more of a home in the Germanic regions of Alsace, Austria and throughout Germany. The majority of wines made here, as well as in the US in this style, are soft and round, sometimes off-dry in a way that might be described as Riesling Light. Jancis Robinson describes the grape as “useful rather than exciting,” as well as “gently rather than demandingly appealing,” having less character than the already tofu-like Chardonnay, as well as low body and acidity.

(I’ll wait while you rush out to buy some.)

All that said, one can understand why my expectations are relatively low when given the opportunity to taste through a bunch of Bianco from Italy’s Alto Adige, perhaps the only region in the world where the grape is highly regarded.

The first bottle I pop, the Cantina Terlano Nova Domus 2011, absolutely explodes with complexity, including honey, melon, minerals and, most notably, herbs. Because this particular wine is a blend (60% Pinot Bianco, 30% Chardonnay, 10% Sauvignon Blanc) — despite the fact that it is mostly Bianco — I find myself initially attributing the big flavors to Chard (melon) and Sauv Blanc (herbs). Still, the immensity of herbal flavor is a head-scratcher, if there’s only a splash of Sauvignon.

nova-domus pinot bianco

As I delve further, moving on to pure varietal bottlings, I begin to realize that this herbal, mineral quality is actually derived from the Bianco itself. In wines such as the Elena Walch Pinot Bianco 2015, this quality is intense, powerfully rippling through every aspect of the fresh, vibrant wine.

So what’s the deal here? How is this notoriously taciturn grape showing such exuberance and vitality? I turn to Cantina Terlano’s Judith Unterholzner for answers. “Especially when Pinot Bianco is cultivated in an Alpine climate, it can be surprisingly fleshy and rich in its herbal, honeyed yellow-fruit aromas and flavors,” she shares. In recent years, it turns out, the best Alto Adige winemakers have shifted their Bianco vines upward, moving from the valleys and lower slopes (which made more typical, tasteless wine) to upper elevations, starting at 1300 feet and running up to 2500. A reduction in yields as well as the introduction of guyot vine training (in addition to the traditional pergola method) has also helped make an impact.

In other words, much of the secret is location. “The unique aroma profile of our Pinot Bianco is due to the terroir of Terlano, which is responsible for scents of chamomile but also fresh flower meadows,” says Unterholzner. “The rich nose as well as the full and complex mouthfeel is markedly influenced by our eruptive soils, which also cause a powerful salty persistence.”

In the Alto Adige, there’s a seriousness regarding Bianco here that isn’t evident elsewhere. “Winemaking in Terlano traditionally involves the use of wooden casks,” continues Unterholzner. “Special emphasis is also placed on the sur lie method, with the wines often left to evolve on the yeast for years before being bottled, where they’re aged even further. The focus is on developing the complex secondary and tertiary aromas, which creates a specific character and complexity.”

pinot-bianco-grapes
© Udo Bernhart

Wines for Aging

It’s also fascinating how tightly-wound these wines are when young. Huge acidity — which often isn’t the case with Pinot Bianco from elsewhere — as well as those aggressive herbal and saline notes. The aforementioned Terlano Nova Domus, though quite complex and nuanced already, seems to be holding back, even at 5 years old. Though it can be decanted and enjoyed now, the winery suggests drinking no earlier than 8 years from the vintage date.

St. Pauls Passion Pinot Bianco Riserva is another beast, the 2012 offering a dank, feral nose, herbs and rocks belying slumbering fruit. I’d love to try it again in 3-5 years. Cantina Andriano Finado, a 2011 bottle, begins to showcase the benefits of age, with notes of honey and tropical fruit emerging to balance out the savory flavors.

“The aging potential of our wines is due to a combination of the high mineral content of the soils, old vines growing in complete harmony, carefully managed vineyards with low yields per vine, and the rigorous selection of healthy and fully mature grapes,” continues Unterholzner. “At several tastings back to the foundational years, our whites have proved to be liquid time machines, leaving their mark in memory as the supreme expression of a mineral terroir that is unique in this world.”

terlano-pinot-bianco
© Udo Bernhart

The Happy Ending

With wines this complex and intriguing, it’s hard to not wonder why more winemakers aren’t taking Bianco seriously. “Other regions have not believed in Pinot Bianco as an expressive variety with the ability to age,” agrees Unterholzner. “Thus it is difficult to compare our mature whites with those from other regions.”

Then again, it may just be one of those romantic, idealistic stories. Pinot Bianco, a rogue from Burgundy, sets off in search of itself, and finds an unlikely home in the Dolomites. Hallmark Channel here we come.

“Pinot Bianco has always been one of our main varieties,” concludes Unterholzner. “It’s a powerful expression of the terroir that brings the grapes to maturity in Terlano. Delicate, and above all minerally, Pinot Bianco wines are very much our trademark and Terlano’s ambassadors of longevity.”

Gray Matters

Mike Madaio Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, _reD 4 Comments
castelfeder-pinot-grigio-vineyard

Pinot Grigio. One of the most well-known Italian grapes, it just might be the least respected among connoisseurs. This typically cheap white is, of course, inarguably one of the best-selling in the US, but rarely receives oenophile attention.

“It doesn’t really taste like anything,” says the wine specialist at my local store when I bring it up. This opinion is not a solitary one; it stems from the tide of bulk wine that flows out of the “delle Venezie” IGT (mostly Veneto and Trentino), made by wineries like Cavit, Bolla, and Mezzacorona. Pale and insipid, this juice can offer some freshness but not much else.

On the Esquire show Uncorked – which follows several Master Somm candidates as they prepare for their exam – one guy is shown rinsing with Grigio in place of brushing his teeth the morning of a blind tasting, so as not to throw off his palate.

At my local wine school, instructors suggest using Pinot Grigio to rinse the glass when transitioning to a new wine, as it will neither dilute the next pour like water nor affect the flavor like another wine. (The best rinse is actually the 2nd wine, but that’s another conversation.)

“Pinot Grigio is perceived by the market as a watery, super-light wine,”  Max di Lenardo of Friuli-Venezia Giulia’s Di Lenardo Vineyards confirms. “The grape has been successful, so now there are a lot of industrial wines that don’t taste like the real thing. In our region,” he continues, “we don’t have big cooperatives like this. We are a small area and almost all of our Pinot Grigio is family-owned, estate-bottled wine.”

Interestingly, Pinot Gris – the same grape, with French styling – receives none of the disrespect of its Italian twin. It’s quite highly regarded, in both Alsace and in Oregon. People rarely call it boring or plain; it can feature in some of the most exciting whites from those regions.

Despite carrying a healthy dose of skepticism for years, I recently find myself wondering if Grigio can ever match up to Gris. Is Italy’s version a lost cause, or can it actually be good?

My awakening begins with a bottle from Castelfeder in the Alto Adige that’s full-bodied and luscious, turning any and all previous notions of the Grige on their head. Of course, most of my experience up to this point has been of the Santa Margherita mold: well-known but not particularly good.

I start to seek wines made in the ramato-style – a copper-hued wine that’s been fermented briefly on its skins, imparting some of the color, flavor and tannin. Produced primarily in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia sub-region of Collio, they’re not only surprising in appearance but offer a completely different gustatory experience when compared to the stuff we all know and, er, don’t love.

Di Lenardo, who produces the ramato Gossip, says he enjoys vinifying a wine in this “special” way that the industrial cellars won’t, as well as helping to educate consumers that the Pinot Grigio grape is actually quite dark in color (Grigio means gray).

pinot grigio grapes

He also notes how this method can produce “bigger texture” as well as “distinctive aromatic power.” And while Gossip does feature varietally typical flavors of stone fruit and tart apple, there is absolutely more. Feral notes of hay and fuzzy peach showcase in the aroma, and a distinct bitter almond note coincides with the finish. Though softer than I’ve come to expect with Grigio, a nibble of tannin adds balance.

One of the finest ramato bottles I come across takes me out of Italy, across the border to Slovenia, specifically the region of Štajerska, which – although towards the eastern side of the country — is still as close to Collio as Verona. The winery Pullus (aka Ptujska Klet) has been around for a little bit, according to the label, which claims, no joke, “since 1239.” Regardless, they produce a killer ramato, lighter than Gossip but also sharper, redolent of strawberries and raspberries followed by a mineral and herb-tinged finish. With no disrespect meant to the surely wonderful folks of Štajerska, this is one fine Italian Pinot Grigio.

Though distinct, the ramato-style in and of itself neither equates to bigger or more serious. Take the wines of Fruili’s Attems. While their ramato offers up rose-like fruit alongside a touch of tannic dryness, the overall impression is gentle and elegant. Attems’ non-ramato Pinot Grigio – which is darker than plonk yet still a white wine – on the other hand, is rich and lush, showcasing deep fruitiness (tangerines!) alongside nutty complexity and mouthwatering salinity. Wow.

attems pinot grigio
Image via Attems FB page

Heading back up to the Alto Adige, Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio is yet another standout. Perhaps the palest of the mentioned wines, it defies that with bold flavor. Huge herbal aromas act as an Alto Adige calling card, but opulent peach, pear and melon bring balance. Experiencing this abundant fruit’s coexistence with vibrant freshness, it’s hard to imagine this grape ever developing its reputation for blandness.

So why does it? Judith Unterholzner – who represents Alto Adige wineries Terlano and Andriano – suggests this phenomenon is mainly due to exaggerated yields. “Whenever producers fail to reduce quantities harvested per hectare to get higher quality primary fruit, Pinot Grigio cannot demonstrate its full potential,” she notes. “We cultivate our Pinot Grigio with the same production philosophy like all the other wine; by taking care of the vines. This creates a product of remarkable quality, balancing varietal typicity with the Alpine brightness our region is famous for.”

It also, of course, requires higher costs. “Low yields are the main reason for the high quality,” Unterholzer continues “which clearly has to have a certain price, since we invest on average 500 hours of manual work per hectare to get the best out of the vineyards.” Don’t fret, though. It’s still only about $20/bottle. Tough to compare on paper with Cavit at $8, perhaps… until the wines are tasted.

This story is, in the end, hardly surprising. Should we, for example, estimate the potential of California Cabernet by bottles of Woodbridge and Barefoot? Hardly. Nor should we judge Pinot Grigio based on bulk garbage.

Me, I began this quest intrigued yet skeptical about the potential of Pinot Grigio. Now here I sit, an unabashed fan. Are you finally ready to open your own mind?

Recommended Bottles:

  • Pullus Pinot Grigio
  • Di Lenardo Gossip Pinot Grigio Ramato
  • Attems Pinot Grigio & Pinot Grigio Ramato
  • Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio
  • Castelfeder Pinot Grigio
  • Donna Alma Pinot Grigio Dolomiti

Top image via Castelfeder Facebook page.

#ItalianFWT
This post was featured in the July 2016 Italian Food, Wine & Travel group’s Twitter chat on orange wines. Check out a list of other posts from the group: