Lightly Wines Pinot Grigio

Lightly Wines' Pinot Grigio comes from Massachusetts, so it's an East Coast, cool-climate take on a grape better known from northern Italy and the Pacific Northwest. Cool-climate Pinot Grigio usually runs lean and crisp rather than rounded. The listing doesn't give a vintage, ABV or tasting notes, so what follows is the typical profile of the style, not a measured one for this bottle. Expect pale straw color and light to medium body. Typical aromas are green apple, pear, lemon zest and a trace of white blossom. Acidity is usually bright and the finish short and clean. Tannin isn't a factor in a white wine like this, and oak is rarely used. Most bottles in this style are fermented and aged in stainless steel to keep the fruit fresh. Because the style is light and high in acid, it works best with simple, lightly seasoned food. It suits raw or steamed shellfish, grilled white fish with lemon, and shrimp scampi. It also goes well with a salad of fresh greens and goat cheese, or with prosciutto and melon. The acidity can cut through the richness of a cream-based pasta or fried calamari. Heavily spiced dishes and big tomato sauces tend to overpower a wine this delicate. A bowl of olives and a soft cheese such as fresh mozzarella also work if you're pouring it before dinner. Serve it well chilled, around 44 to 48°F, which is roughly three hours in a refrigerator or thirty minutes in an ice bath. Colder than that, the fruit goes quiet. Warmer, the wine can taste flabby. Decanting isn't needed, because a wine meant for freshness gains nothing from extra air. A standard white wine glass with a moderate bowl and a slightly tapered rim will gather the citrus and orchard-fruit aromas without letting them fade. Treat this as a drink-now bottle. Wines of this style are made for the first year or two after release, when their fruit and acidity are at their liveliest. Keep it in a cool, dark spot, and once it's open, re-cork it and finish it within three or four days in the refrigerator.