THE EVER ELUSIVE PINOT GRIGIO

It seems a long time now since I first embarked on my search for the perfect Pinot Grigio. Alas, my search and my attempt to unravel the mystery of its popularity have so far drawn blanks. All I’ve encountered is wine which is insipid, colourless, lacking in character, elegance, class and power. But surprise, surprise, it still enjoys its happy hour. Punters in droves seek it out in bars and restaurants and it flies off the shelves faster than you can unload the box.

Anyway, out of all the Grigios I’ve tasted recently there are three which stand out, for various reasons:

2005 San Angelo Pinot Grigio, Castello BANFI, Toscana IGT, Tuscany– 12.5% alcohol
(Majestic - £7.99)

Quite intense citrus on the nose and watery citrus and caramelised acidity on the palate, its charms are modest, uninspiring, plain. Surely BANFI could have done better. It goes well with fish, seafood pasta and soft cheeses, like dolcevita.

2005 Enofriulia (EF) Pinot Grigio, Puiatti, Collio DOC (Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Italy) – 12% alcohol – my top choice thus far
(Sainsbury’s - £9.99, currently under offer £8.99)

When you get over the shock of the bright yellow plastic cork, you discover an elegant wine. It comes from the right region for this variety: Collio of Friuli-Venezia Guilia. The wine is a rewarding experience with soft citrus, underripe apricot, peach and pear notes on the nose. It’s well balanced, elegantly structured and its citrusy and pear flavours, although not very pronounced on the palate, make it a pleasure to drink with fish, seafood creamy pastas, soft cheeses and even cheddar.

Sainsbury’s also sells 2004 Enofriulia Pinot Grigio but since it may also have a plastic cork, it’s better to steer away from it. As research shows, a wine can safely keep under a plastic cork for no more than 12 months. You have been warned.

2004 Pinot Grigio, Lis Neris, Alvaro Pecorari, Venezia Giulia IGT, Italy, 14% alcohol
(Berry Bros & Rudd - £11.95)

This wine also comes from Friulli. Aromatic as it is, the flavours of peach, pear and a tad floral on the nose and peach on the palate are a bit simple, and the structure is slightly thinner than what you think it should be. But it does have plenty of flavours for a change and went down very nicely with a creamy prawn pasta. BBR now has 2005 Pinot Grigio, Lis Neris priced at £12.95, and also a special cuvée 2004 Cris-Pinot Grigio, Lis Neris at £14.50.

So… I’ve been there, done that, got the T-shirt et al and frankly, Pinot Grigio is not something I will be craving for in the near future. But, never say never. I’ve spotted a few more samples of this varietal, so I may well take the plunge once again. But then again, there’s so much more interesting wine out there to taste and enjoy. Why bother?