I don’t trust Italian pinot grigio. Since it’s a wine that people who don’t drink much wine drink, a lot of pinot grigio producers feel it’s their duty to foist poorly-made, over-priced wine off on them. Some of the samples I get are so awful that I pour them down the drain after the first couple of sips (with loud muttering under my breath).
So I haven’t done an Italian pinot grigio review in two years, and an Italian pinot grigio has never been a wine of the week.
Until now.The Bollini ($12, purchased, available at Jimmy’s) is everything the rest of those wines aren’t. It’s reasonably priced. It doesn’t taste like rubbing alcohol. Even more amazingly, it’s varietally correct. There are aromas of flower blossoms, just enough apple and pear fruit to be recognizable, and bit of minerality (and not turpentine) on the finish. Serve this chilled, either on its own or with almost any light summer dish. It would also go with pasta and seafood. I’d even buy it again.
This is the kind of wine that people who don’t drink wine would love; if you know someone like that, tell them about it. To be honest, I’m not quite sure why I bought the Bollini. I guess I was feeling guilty about my attitude toward pinot grigio given that one of my goals this year has been to be more accessible to non-wine drinkers. I took one for the team, and I’m glad I did.
