Recently I received three Italian Pinot Grigio wines to taste and compare. Since the variety is so popular I thought that I would give them a try.
Jump for the results.
2010 Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio, Venezia (approx. $12).
Faint nose. Taste of wine gums. Would be better with shellfish than as a quaffing wine.
2009 Da Vinci Pinot Grigio, Venezia (approx. $14)
Faint nose. Lemon in the taste. A light bodied wine with some sweetness in the mouth. Not as good with shellfish as the first wine (it lacks the high acidity) but might work well with chicken dishes that do not have strong sauces.
2009 Maso Canali Pinot Grigio, Trentino (approx. $23)
Heavier weight in the mouth, most intense flavor. In a class above the other two.
Interestingly, all of these wines are cut with not insignificant amounts of Chardonnay (a white grape that is so popular that its wines outsell all other white varieties added together). About 10% is Chardonnay in each one (exact amounts are on the back label of each). This is perfectly legal as a wine has to contain at least 75% of a varietal in order to be labeled as that varietal. The reason for blending in the Chardonnay, I suspect, was to give Pinot Grigio some of the characteristics that make the former grape so popular.
