Another, but white, Italian quaffer
8 December 2006
What
is? Pinot Grigio 2005
Available from Woolworths stores; R34.95
The past few days in the Helderberg Bowl have been windless and hot,
touching 30°C. I call this time of year WWW, or white wine weather.
It has also been a particularly busy week, so no time to
carefully fondle the avocados or gently massage the melons, or stand for
ages in front of Woolworths’ wine selection debating with myself if it’s
okay to put ice into sauvignon blanc and chenin but not chardonnay or
viognier.
No, the weather and time constraints called for quick action
so, on autopilot, I grabbed a bottle of What? Pinot Grigio.
The What? range from Woolworths – brainchild of selection
manager, Alan Mullins CWM, and buying manager Ivan Oertle – was launched a
few years ago to add excitement to the range while educating consumers. The
many local wines – mainly from French grapes – are joined by three sourced
from Italy: the white pinot grigio and reds primitivo and sangiovese.
Sometimes it seems as if pinot grigio is grown in as many
countries as it has synonyms. In Europe, the Italians call it, well, pinot
grigio; the Swiss malvoisie; the Hungarians szürkebarát and the Germans
ruländer. In France, it goes by the name of malvoisie in the Loire and
Savoie, pinot beurot in Burgundy and, until recently, tokay-pinot gris in
Alsace (‘tokay’ has been forcibly dropped to avoid confusion – according to
the EU bureaucrats – with the Tokaji wines of Hugary).
We know it as either pinot gris or pinot grigio in New World
producing countries – Canada, USA, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa;
local producers are L’Ormarins, Flat Roof Manor, Stormhoek, Van Loveren and
Louisenhof.
The variety, which has a lower acidity than the blancs and a
weightiness which is akin to chardonnay, is fairly flexible in the cellar.
Some winemakers showcase its ability to be fresh, spicy and dry; others
prefer to highlight its nuts and honey characters in off-dry versions; and
still others opt to allow botrytis to take hold in the vineyard and make
sweet wine.
With so many producing countries and a broad varieties of
styles, it should come as no surprise that quality runs the gamut from
simple quaffers to the contemplative sippers.
For me, the best off-dry and Sélections de Grains Nobles
pinot gris wines of Alsace are wonderful: complex, weighty and intriguing;
while the better drier versions are nutty, refreshing, and quite prepared to
let food take centre stage on the dinner table.
The What? Pinot Grigio I chilled and tried a few sunsets ago
was a gluggable, unwooded 2005 version from the Veneto. Pale hued, with
hints of apple, pear and spice on the nose and nuts on the palate,
medium-bodied and with a dry finish. It went well with a light and
unchallenging salad and grilled chicken breasts.
Verdict:
Refreshing and unchallenging, this is perfect for when your brain has
been fried from too much work in too little time in a hotter than
comfortable office ... but it’s not a wine memories are made of.
Foreign
fling