Pinot Grigio can be insipid and uninspiring, but in the right hands, it can be a revelation.
Unfortunately, there is a huge amount of indifferent, weak and watery Pinot Grigio around, made from grapes grown in the hot valley floors of the Italian Veneto region. However, Pinot Grigio – the good stuff, is completely different and comes from the dramatic foothills of the Italian Alps, in the regions of Friuli and Alto-Adige. The cool nights here, even in the height of summer, enable very focused fruit flavours. Franz Haas is one of its greatest winemakers of the Alto-Adige region. He goes to tremendous lengths to grow good grapes and then strives to preserve the flavours of the fruit during winemaking.
The featured Winecroft white wine for March is the 2020 Franz Haas Pinot Grigio. This traditional Pinot Grigio wine is pale straw-yellow in colour, with a fragrant floral bouquet with notes of sage, hay, almonds and sandalwood. On the palate, it is fresh and medium-bodied with great finesse and elegance.
