Wine Tasting 8 - Giardino Pinot Grigio delle Venezie Rosé

 

Name: Pinot Grigio Soft Rosé Wine
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Region: Giardino winery in Veneto
Country: Italy
Vintage Year: 2023
Price: $7.99

Shop Review: According to the bottle, this is a light and crisp wine with hints of apples, pears with tones of something more exotic. Well balanced, with a soft finish. It is well paired with fish, pasta, pizza, and salad, and it should be served chilled.

Wine Folly Text: Pino Grigio (aka Pinot Gris) is a pink grape mutation of the Pinot Noir that is most famous for its zesty white wines that range in style from dry to just plain sweet. Common flavor profiles include white peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, raw almond, and crushed gravel. The largest majority is grown in Italy, specifically the Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giula, and Trentino-Alto Adige regions. It is often served in a wine glass, cold, the average cost for quality is roughly $15, and has a cellaring ability of 1-5 years [pg 149].

The Veneto region is part of Northeastern Italy, in which you’ll find Prosecco, Lambrusco, Italy’s best Pinot Grigio, and the well-regarded red wines of Valpolicella. The regions of the Alto Adige and Friuli are famous for Pinot Grigio. In the alpine, Alto Adige, wines are more floral with piercing acidity. In Friuli, you’ll find them to offer peach and chalky flavor. This is a light wine with flavor profiles including lemon, white peach, crushed rocks, saline, and lemon zest [pg 256]. 

My Review: 🍷🍷🍷(out of 5)

Poured out of the bottle, this wine is a beautiful light peachy color and it produced bubbles slowly. From smell alone, the notes of apple and pear were easily noticeable. The taste was much more complex and different than I expected. It was very sour, and I may or may not have gaslit myself into tasting the gravel as mentioned above. The apple notes are strong in the finish. Sydney said it tasted like grapefruit, which I definitely picked up on after she said it aloud. We decided to eat a cookie and see how the flavor changed. After the cookie, the wine tasted very tangy and acidic... almost just like rubbing alcohol. So, I'd say they don't pair well together. I decided to make a quick white cheddar mac and cheese to see if I could bring some more flavor out of the wine. Now it tastes sweeter, with the acidity almost gone, bringing out the apple and pear flavors.