Pinot Grigio: how to pair it?

From France it has spread internationally, becoming one of the most celebrated white wines worldwide, particularly in the United States of America, where in recent years it has become the most consumed domestic wine.

Pinot Grigio has its origins in France, born from an unstable genetic mutation of Pinot Noir. It is a grape variety with grey-violet clusters, complex, requiring much attention, compatible soil and favourable climatic conditions. In Italy it arrived at the end of the nineteenth century, together with other French grape varieties – such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon – and was planted in the regions of the North, particularly in Veneto, Trentino-Alto Adige and Friuli-Venezia Giulia. Today its cultivation has expanded throughout the national territory. The wine Pinot Grigio Dama con l’Ermellino from the Da Vinci i Capolavori collection grows on the hills of Bertinoro, Faenza and Brisighella, in soils with clay textures tending towards limestone and with gypsum veins, at 100-150 metres above sea level.

In general, Pinot Grigio wine is a fresh and light white, but its taste varies greatly depending on the production area and the winemaking method.

The grapes are usually harvested slightly early, in the period between late August and early September, to allow this type of wine to obtain good acidity and fresh and delicate aromatic notes. Winemaking takes place with light pressing, whilst fermentation is carried out at a controlled temperature of 14-18 °C, to develop fruity and floral aromas, maintaining the classic fresh note on the palate. The ageing before bottling, on the other hand, is carried out in thermostat-controlled stainless steel tanks.

The typical characteristics of this grape variety are clearly visible in the colour of this wine, a pleasant and delicate pale straw yellow. This Pinot Grigio offers excellent taste-olfactory correspondence, intensified by pleasant mineral notes in the finish. On the nose, instead, notes of broom flowers, jasmine and a fresh herbal undertone emerge, maintaining the typical fresh note on the palate.