Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio in the Italian white style is a dry, light-to-medium-bodied wine built around crisp acidity rather than weight. The tasting notes below describe what wines like this usually show, not a measured profile of this bottle. Expect green apple, pear and lemon-citrus fruit, sometimes with a touch of white peach or melon, and a faint almond or mineral note on the finish. Oak is rarely part of the picture, since this style is normally fermented and aged in stainless steel to keep it clean and bright. Tannin is effectively absent in a white wine like this. The finish tends to be short to medium, dry and refreshing, and it leaves the palate ready for the next bite. That acidity and restraint are what make it a table wine for lighter food. It suits shellfish, fried calamari, grilled white fish and shrimp scampi, and it holds up well against lemony chicken, simple risotto, and pasta with olive oil, garlic or light cream sauces. Salads with vinaigrette, fresh mozzarella, prosciutto with melon, and mild cheeses such as young pecorino or ricotta all work. Very spicy dishes or heavy tomato-and-meat sauces will overpower a wine this delicate, so a red is the better choice there. Serve it well chilled, around 45 to 50°F, which in practice means a couple of hours in the refrigerator or about 30 minutes in an ice bucket. Colder than that mutes the fruit, and warmer makes it taste flat and slightly bitter. There is no need to decant. Pour it straight from the bottle into a standard white wine glass with a moderate bowl, which concentrates the citrus and pear aromas without letting them fade. Wines in this style are made to be drunk young, usually within a year or two of release, while the acidity and fresh fruit are at their best. Plan on opening this bottle soon rather than cellaring it.