Variety:

Region:

Tasting Notes: New season apples

This one has aromas has aromas of new season apples and pears. The palate is zippy and crisp, with loads of lemon zest and apple flavours.

Background Information: The growth in popularity of this wine style is staggering. Last year a Nielson poll found that sales of Pinot Grigio / Gris grew by 81% in the $8-$11 bottled wine segment, from the year before. This means there’s a hell of lot of people looking for an alternative to Sauvignon Blanc. And why not, cause at its best it’s a great drink.

To save confusion Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape variety. The difference is that Grigio is Italian for grey and refers to the wine that is made lighter and dryer whilst Pinot Gris is French for grey and refers to wine that is made fuller, with heady aromas and more sweeter fruit.

So in this instance this King Valley winery has released a wine that is flinty, crisp and dry. It’s more to the Italian style than the French. Ok

During the mid – late 90’s studying and working in the wine industry I sampled many Italian Pinot Grigio’s. This was a period where the UK market was being flooded by cheap and insipid Grigio’s. It turned many people off the wine, which was a shame because at their best the wines from North East Italy can be truly fantastic. Thank goodness the Italians woke top themselves and the bland ones have all but gone.

In Australia the vine was introduced by James Busby in 1832. The figures below will show you just how popular it has become in the past decade.

Vintage Tonnes crushed
2000 200
2005 3000
2007 12,340
2008 26,000

The beauty of this style for the wineries is that it can be released early, once bottled, exactly like Sauvignon Blanc. So cash flow wise it’s a real winner for them. It’s best drunk young, also much like most Sauvignon Blanc’s. The King Valley and Adelaide Hills have a good grasp on the style, making very good cool climate examples.

Vintage: 2008

State: Victoria

Country: Australia

Alcohol Content: 12.5%

Standard Drinks: 7.4

Preservatives: 220

Bottle Top: Screwcap

Bottle Size: 750 ml

Red/White Wine: White