Pighin Pinot Grigio is an excellent example....and a very good wine
If you ever get the notion that all Pinot Grigio wines are, at best, inoffensive chilled beverages to help provide a festive feeling during the cocktail hour or to unthinkingly help wash down some lighter food, drink a Pinot Grigio from the Collio region of Friuli in northeastern Italy.
I have written about this before, but it was further emphasized during a recent wine event featuring a number of the top Italian wineries that was organized by Kobrand. I had the opportunity to talk with the gregarious Roberto Pighin, who was representing the Pighin winery located in Friuli. Of the handful of wines from their portfolio that he brought included two Pinot Grigios. One was from the Friuli Grave appellation. The nicely dry wine was quite pleasant and a far cry from the last few Pinot Grigios I had had. The second, from the marly soil of the Collio hills, was terrific; the medium-bodied wine was dry, interesting, nuanced and long-tasting, even somewhat sophisticated, and this was a Pinot Grigio.
As Roberto Pighin explained, their Pinot Grigio from the Friuli Grave DOC, “has the minerality of the Collio, if not the richness or complexity.” The Collio is special. Not just with the Pinot Grigio, which has “less acidity than the Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige,” the other area with interesting versions of the varietal. Though if you are looking for a Pinto Grigio, look for “Collio” along with it. The extra tariff is worth it, especially if you enjoy Pino Grigio. Pighin’s Collio Pinot Grigio is “better when it has at least a year’s time in the bottle,” so its utility is best for something other than as a party starter.
In the Collio, which abuts and actually extends in neighboring Slovenia as the Brda appellation, there is much more than Pinot Grigio, which helped put it on the map. Ribolla Gialla, Friuliano, Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco and even, or especially, the Collio blends, help show that this is one of the world’s great regions for white wines. And, the reds aren’t too shabby, either.
I have written about this before, but it was further emphasized during a recent wine event featuring a number of the top Italian wineries that was organized by Kobrand. I had the opportunity to talk with the gregarious Roberto Pighin, who was representing the Pighin winery located in Friuli. Of the handful of wines from their portfolio that he brought included two Pinot Grigios. One was from the Friuli Grave appellation. The nicely dry wine was quite pleasant and a far cry from the last few Pinot Grigios I had had. The second, from the marly soil of the Collio hills, was terrific; the medium-bodied wine was dry, interesting, nuanced and long-tasting, even somewhat sophisticated, and this was a Pinot Grigio.
As Roberto Pighin explained, their Pinot Grigio from the Friuli Grave DOC, “has the minerality of the Collio, if not the richness or complexity.” The Collio is special. Not just with the Pinot Grigio, which has “less acidity than the Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige,” the other area with interesting versions of the varietal. Though if you are looking for a Pinto Grigio, look for “Collio” along with it. The extra tariff is worth it, especially if you enjoy Pino Grigio. Pighin’s Collio Pinot Grigio is “better when it has at least a year’s time in the bottle,” so its utility is best for something other than as a party starter.
In the Collio, which abuts and actually extends in neighboring Slovenia as the Brda appellation, there is much more than Pinot Grigio, which helped put it on the map. Ribolla Gialla, Friuliano, Sauvignon, Pinot Bianco and even, or especially, the Collio blends, help show that this is one of the world’s great regions for white wines. And, the reds aren’t too shabby, either.
