Battling pinot grigio's not-so-smart image

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BY BILL DALEY/Chicago Tribune

Pinot grigio has really become the merlot of white wine.

Hugely popular with the public, profitable for winemakers (double-digit growth in dollar sales and volume sold over the last year, according to The Nielsen Co., the market research firm), this is a wine that’s totally, utterly, dissed by many serious wine drinkers.

Fairly typical of the attitude is this comment from a wine store employee: “Pinot grigio is dull, flabby and uninteresting. They are all alike to me.’’

Well, not really. For just as one must remember that the much-maligned merlot is the stuff of the legendary Cheval-Blanc and Petrus, so must one realize there are some “smart’’ pinot grigios out there.

To find the best, know where to look.

Pinot grigio (PEE-no GREE-geeoh) is Italian for the pinot gris (PEE-no gree) grape, which is named for its grayish hue. The wine is made around the world in a multitude of styles and can be labeled as either pinot gris or pinot grigio, depending on maker and location.

Asked to identify some excellent pinot grigios, Chicago-area wine merchants roamed widely. Janel Syron of Wine Styles Belmont in Chicago suggested an Anne Amie pinot gris from Oregon’s Willamette Valley. Emmett Malloy III of Sav-Way Fine Wines & Spirits stores liked the Santiago Graffigna pinot grigio from Argentina. And Mark Wrobel, a wine buyer for Fox & Obel in Chicago, picked out a Virginia pinot grigio made by Barboursville Vineyards.

Others also were quick to point to northern Italy and its cooler wine regions of Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Alto Adige for quality pinot grigio.

“The only way to make a special pinot grigio is in a cold climate,’’ said Tom Hyland, a Chicago wine educator and writer. “If you see a pinot grigio from Tuscany, forget it.’’

Hyland loves the crisp, clean finish and strength found in pinot grigios from Friuli and Alto Adige but admitted that the “blandness’’ of pinot grigio made in warmer climes may be key to its wide appeal.

“It doesn’t offend anyone,’’ he said, “and that’s the strength of these weak pinot grigios. I don’t think too many Americans want a lot of acidity in their wine.’’

Mike Baker of Wine Discount Center in Chicago thinks producers like Abbazia di Novacella, Livio Felluga, Elena Walch and Venica e Venica set the direction for better-quality pinot grigio.

“These wines are typically deeper in color, sometimes with streaks of amber, gold, burnt red,’’ he said. “Texturally, they tend toward a weightier and richer mouth-feel, as well as a drier and longer finish. ... The flavors are also different: Less fruitiness and more earth and mineral tones.’’

While there are producers out there striving to do “bigger and better’’ pinot grigios, Doug Jeffirs of Binny’s Beverage Depot said that wine consumers need to have a realistic image of what pinot grigio should be.

“People need to understand it for what it is: inexpensive, fresh, lively juice,’’ he said. “I think it has opened the door, at least in this market, for other, more interesting Italian whites to be considered, like Soave, Gavi, vernaccia and even vermentino and inzolia.’’

But others say pinot grigio for pinot grigio’s sake still is a worthy cause.

“Pinot grigio, if anything, is better than it was five years ago,’’ Baker insisted. “I believe growers in northeast Italy that allow for true varietal expression, that is, pinot grigio that really looks and tastes like the varietal, have created a quality resurgence. We taste far fewer insipid examples than in recent past years.’’

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ITALY VS. CALIFORNIA

Italian pinot grigios placed first, second and third in a face-off with three of their California cousins. The tasting was blind; no one knew which wine came from where. Interestingly, only one of the tasters, a frequent traveler to Italy, correctly identified the country of origin for all six wines.

2006 Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie: With grapes sourced from three regions, Veneto, Friuli and Alto Adige, this elegant minerally wine has a satiny mouthfeel and a smooth, long finish. There’s a touch of citrus on the nose and the palate. Serve with grilled calamari or shrimp. 3 corkscrews. $17

2006 Jermann Pinot Grigio Venezia Giulia: Spicy with lots of minerality and a touch of citrus and herbs. Fruity finish. Serve with potatoes au gratin, bruschetta. 2 corkscrews. $33

2006 Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio Collio: Crisp, high-acid wine with a pleasantly tart finish. Serve with seafood salad, gnocchi with pesto sauce. 2 corkscrews. $26

2007 Robert Mondavi Pinot Grigio Private Selection: This California white has a powerful citrus aroma and a sassy minerality underneath a tropical fruit flavor. Serve with fried chicken, pasta in cream sauce. 2 corkscrews. $13

2007 Benessere Pinot Grigio: This white from Napa Valley’s Carneros region has a nose ripe with floral and fruit aromas. The wine is very fruity and sweet with just a trace of tartness. Serve with fruit salad, ricotta cheesecake. 2 corkscrews. $26

2004 La Famiglia Pinot Grigio

Thin, watery with a pronounced and distracting anise-like note. Serve with mild seafood. 1 corkscrew. $15