Le Monde Pinot Grigo

Le Monde Pinot Grigo is a Massachusetts-labeled white wine listed in the Italian white category, and it follows the Pinot Grigio style. The label gives no vintage, alcohol level or tasting notes, so what follows describes what this style usually delivers, not a measured profile. Expect a pale straw color and a light to medium body. The fruit is typically green apple, pear and citrus, sometimes with a touch of melon or white peach. Acidity runs crisp to moderate, tannin is essentially absent in a white like this, and oak is rarely part of the style. The finish is usually short to medium, clean and dry. That profile makes it a good match for lighter food. It suits shellfish, raw or steamed clams and mussels, and baked or pan-seared white fish with lemon. Salads with vinaigrette, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto and melon, and pasta in olive oil, garlic or light cream sauces also work. The acidity cuts through fried calamari or fish and chips. Very spicy dishes and heavy tomato-meat sauces will overwhelm a wine this delicate. Serve it well chilled, about 45 to 50°F, which in practice means two to three hours in the refrigerator or thirty minutes in an ice bath. Colder than that mutes the fruit, and warmer makes the wine taste flat and a little soft. It does not need decanting. A standard white wine glass with a moderate bowl and a slightly narrowed rim concentrates the citrus and orchard-fruit aromas without letting them fade. Wines in this style are made to be drunk young while the fruit and acidity are at their liveliest. Plan to open this bottle soon after you buy it, not to cellar it. Once opened, recork it and keep it in the refrigerator, where it should hold its character for a few days.