Wine of the Week- Pinot Gris!

[SandyM]

Hiya Julie,

We discovered Pinot Gris (and Pinot Grigio) last summer, and we love it! I'll have to look for Montinore. We really like Black Star Farms Pinot Grigio - it's a northern Michigan winery.

[ashley]

The 1999 King Estate Pinot Gris is another very tasty one. It's also from Oregon, and I think it's about $15.

[kwormann]

I have all 3 on my shopping list....hic

Julie....I am making the tart on Sunday so Ill serve the wine then http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Alky]

We have just discovered a great Pinot Grigio at Trader Joes. It's Gaetano D'Aquino from Italy. We enjoyed 3 bottles over memorial day weekend with company!

[KValley]

I wanted to share a wonderful wine we enjoyed this week: Montinore Vineyards Pinot Gris 1999 Montinore is in Oregon's Willamette Valley.

It has a beautiful vanilla honey color and a honeysuckle, vanilla aroma. The taste is of creamy ripe pear with apricot overtones. It was quite different than an Italian Pinot Grigio, which is much more spare and light, with citrus flavors.

It was dreamy with an Apricot-Almond Tart and refreshing with the Roasted Corn and Tomato Tart and green salad. A perfect summer wine!

[gabbyh]

Thanks to all of you, my Aussie hubby no longer will drink wine ONLY from Australia...he says "what's the Board drinking this week?"...well...we made a trip to (unfortunately) our local PA State Store yesterday and came home with 5 bottles of Pinot Gris to sample...and none of them were from Oz!! Thanks guys!!! (not that I mind Australian wine, mind you, but it really limits our choices)

[This message has been edited by gabbyh (edited 06-09-2001).]

[Jogren]

Excellent choices! I live in Oregon and I am a big fan of Montinore Vineyards (excellent Chardonnays too). And my husband and I just got back from Italy where we sampled some Pinot Grigios and, of course, Chiantis. Speaking (or, I guess, writing) of Chiantis, I have to mention an excellent fruity Chianti I found at Trader Joe's for $5.99, it is called Gaetano D'Aquino Chianti from 1997. Oh, and a little something we learned in Italy, a true Italian Chianti (or Brunello, Pinot Grigio, etc) will have a purple band around the neck of the bottle dintiguishing it as being made by the exact guidelines of that particular wine.

[KValley]

Originally posted by kwormann:
I have all 3 on my shopping list....hic

Julie....I am making the tart on Sunday so Ill serve the wine then http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif


Kim- let us know how you like these. I was just so excited about this tart. I've never been a terribly successful maker of desserts, so was tickled when this turned out so well. And if you don't like it, well, just have some more wine. It's bound to taste better! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Jogren- where were you in Italy? My DH has never been and I am dying to take him to Tuscany. I love Chianti Classico- I didn't know about the purple band- I thought the "denominazione controlata garantita" phrase indicated that it was regulated. I'll have to pay more attention!

[SusanL]

So glad that the wine of the week is back!! I have the above listed for my visit to the State Store tomorrow!! Did you see the thread on The Wine Lover's Cookbook by Sid Goldstein? I am getting that tomorrow, also.

[This message has been edited by SusanL (edited 06-10-2001).]

[Tangerine]

We went to dinner for my birthday at the College Club and I requested the white house wine. It was so absolutely lucious that I inquired of the Wine Steward – she returned with a slip of paper on which was written Pinot Gris! Thank you for the Vineyard.

[emilycat]

I thought the "denominazione
controlata garantita" phrase indicated that it was regulated.

Julie,

The "true" Chiantis will have this purple band, but the phrase you're referring to applies to any Italian wine that is regulated. Wine snob that I am, I only buy these. (If you already knew this, which you probably did, I apologize for insulting your intelligence. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif )

[KValley]

Does the purple band apply only to Chiantis? I am a Chianti "snob"- I will buy only Chianti Classico, C C Riserva, or Chianti Rufina- no straw bottles for me, thanks! The purple band sounds like a marketing ploy http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif similar to French producers putting the varietal name on the bottle, to appeal to U.S. buyers who are more familiar with varietal names than regions or "terroirs"...

THe DOCG (Denominazione de Origine Controllata Garantita) DOC (Denominazione de Origine Controllata), and the newer IGT (Indicazione Geografic Tipica) and vino da tavola are the official designations of demarcation and regulation (in order of hierarchy)- I'm just going to have to look for this purple band to see on which wines of these denominations it's been placed!

[emilycat]

Julie,

The purple band's significance is similar to the "official" rind on Parmigiano-Reggiano; without it, it's not the real thing. I'm fairly certain it's not a marketing ploy. http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[KValley]

Okay, I just had to get to the bottom of the purple band mystery! I love research, I love wine, so here goes:

Labels must carry the wine's generic name and status (DOCG, DOC, IGT, Vino da tavola), the producer's name and location, alcohol by percentage of volume, as well as the net contents in millilitres (with an "e" as an EEC approved measure). DOCG wines must also carry a paper strip seal of guarantee at the top of the bottle.

Text Copyright © 1992 Italian Institute for Foreign Trade/ICE,
Italian Trade Commission, Wine Center
499 Park Avenue, New York, NY 10022

Another site explaining Italian wine labels stated that a band around the neck was a requirement of any Italian wine export.

So, still a bit unclear but if it is indeed JUST for DOCG wines I'd add the personal caveat that IMHO an Italian wine doesn't have to be DOCG to be good (but it is probably more expensive!)

[This message has been edited by KValley (edited 06-11-2001).]

[emilycat]

Thanks for your research, Julie!
And actually, now that I think about it a little more, I do recall that the DOCG wines have the purple label, not just all the regulated wines. I stand corrected http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Oh, and thanks for your recommendation -- I'm planning to look for that wine the next opportunity I have. It sounds wonderful.

[KValley]

Oh Emily, please please don't think I was correcting you!! I was just intrigued- I'm a detail freak http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[Jogren]

Sorry it has taken me so long to respond! The purple band saga looks like it has been solved...I believe that the recipe for a "true" Chianti is 85% Sangiovese grapes and the rest made of grapes grown in the Tuscany region. Chiantis with the purple band adhere to this rule. However in Italy we tasted several "house wines" that were just as tasty that weren't purple-banded. From what I gathered, each type of regional wine has a recipe that they follow to earn the purple band (ie Brunello, Montepulciano, etc).

To answer your question KValley, we went to Rome, Florence, Siena, Venice, Italian Riviera, and Milan in late May. Fabulous trip! I want to go back already. Definitely take your husband.

Being new to the boards: does DH stand for "darling husband", just curious.

[kwormann]

Well, this is the only of the three I could find:1999 King Estate Pinot Gris.

We had it with the Roasted Corn and TOmato Tart. We loved both!