£8.58, Jascots
Pinot Grigio has to work hard to earn itself a place as Wine of the Week. It's not that I don't like the grape variety. I do – very much – but not the neutral, light style that northern Italy has made its own. This single-vineyard, organic wine is miles away from that: not remotely powerful but with delicious liveliness and intensity and a creamy, lees-enriched texture, plus leafy, lime and delicate bread-crust notes on the nose and a mouthwatering, saline, mineral, grapefruit twang on the palate.
It's a perfect aperitif, but it's also good with vegetables, seafood and pasta. I enjoyed it with lightly smoked mussels (not the tinned kind, but fresh from The Port of Lancaster Smokehouse – highly recommended), a leek tart, herb-strewn slow-roast pomodorino tomatoes, wilted spinach, and spaghetti with a rich homemade pesto. It would go with herby, lemony chicken too. 12.5%
Fidora has been certified organic since 1974, one Italy's earliest organic wine growers, and Civranetta is the old family estate, near the Venice lagoon, where the family has been growing vines for nearly a century. The Fidoras also have wine estates in Valdobbiadene, Valpolicella Classico and Valpolicella.
£8.58, Jascots
Comments