The Ned, Pinot Grigio 2012, New Zealand
Pinot Grigio has become the de facto by-the-glass wine for many people, lapped up in bars, pubs and restaurants as almost anonymous, generic white wine. But Pinot Grigio (aka Pinot Gris) can take on a more substantial form, and some producers are making much more striking examples. This week’s wine comes from New Zealand, not Italy, the home of Pinot Grigio, and has more flavour, texture and personality than many. The wine has a hint of pink to the colour, because the skins of the Pinot Grigio grape become quite a deep red as they ripen late into the autumn, and the nose is deliciously inviting: it’s like opening a can of tinned pears, with fruit and syrup notes, and a lovely feeling of freshness. In the mouth this is a wine with weight and texture. It is perhaps just off-dry, making it so easy to sip on its own, but also giving it broad food-matching potential. The price of £9.99 is OK for this quality.
