GIOL Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie (DOC) 2020, 12.5%
RRP: €13.90-€14 Stockists: Urru, Bandon/ The Little Green Grocer, Kilkenny/ Taste, Castletownbere / The Olive Branch, Clonakilty, The Quay Co-Op, Cork and Mary Pawle
This Pinot Grigio from the Treviso based winery has a straw (even a hint of copper) colour, darker than most. Aromas of ripe peach and apricot plus dry hay, are delicate yet promising. Flavour and texture make an immediate impressive impact on the palate. The flavours follow the aromas right through to a refreshing lip-smacking finish. A crisp and balanced Pinot Grigio that stands out from the crowd and Highly Recommended.
Back to the texture. The wine is kept on the fine lees and has more contact with the skin than usual. You’ll note the words “Skin ferment” on the front label. It is akin to an orange wine, also known as skin-contact white wine, skin-fermented white wine, or amber wine, and is a type of wine made from white wine grapes where the grape skins are not removed, as in typical white wine production, and stay in contact with the juice for days or even months.
You’ll also see the word “ramato” on the label. According to Decanter (Oct 2019), Ramato is for the wine lover who wants more from their Pinot Grigio. “When Pinot Grigio grapes are crushed and the skins are allowed to spend time with the juice, a teasing, tactile texture and coppery hue results in a distinct wine style called ramato. It comes from the word ‘rame’ which means ‘copper’ in Italian.”
The vineyard say it is excellent with vegetable hors d’oeuvres, soups and starters, grilled fish with sauces, Parma ham and melon, and soufflés. Serving temperature: 10-12° C.
They say: For nearly 600 years, our winery has placed an emphasis on nature, quality and beauty. Our family’s long experience is apparent in our esteemed wines. Since 1987, we have been producing wine from grapes grown in our historic vineyards using organic farming methods, respecting both the environment and the raw ingredient.
* We’ve recently reviewed another of GIOL wines on the site, a Cabernet Sauvignon, here .
Chateau Bousquette Pruneyrac St Chinian (2017), 14%
€17.75. Quay Co-Op, Cork/ Scally’s Supervalu, Clonakilty/ Morton’s of Galway / The Grainey, Scarriff, Co. Clare., Mary Pawle
This organic wine has an intense red robe, close to purple. Aromas are expressive, spice, pepper, wild berries and the local garrigue. Believe it or not, I stayed once in a gite near Narbonne (about half an hour away from St Chinian) and the owner was Madame Garrigue.
Madame and myself got on quite well, very well indeed, and this is how my relationship with this wine is going. The palate ups it another notch, dense and silky, tannins smooth as can be. Flavours are delicious, red and darker fruits at its centre and sweet notes of spice in the long finish. Very Highly Recommended. Great price too by the way.
Pruneyrac is from Saint-Chinian, an appellation in the large southern France region of Languedoc-Roussillon. It is made from two local grape varieties: Mourvèdre (predominately) and Grenache noir. This cuvée takes the name of an ancient family from the region who made wine here at the beginning of the previous century as evidenced by old bottles found in the cellars.
The current winemakers suggest this wine will be perfect with a leg of lamb with prunes. Serve at 17 degrees and, if you wish, keep for about 5 years.
Also in wine:
Château la Claymore is a 33 hectare estate owned by the Dubard family, located in Lussac-Saint-Émilion, one of the best Saint-Émilion satellite appellations. The property craft good value Merlot-based wines.
O'Briens have this reduced from €29.95 to €16.95 (while stocks last or until end of January.)
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February 14th Valentines Day is soon approaching and Wines of the World have a celebrity mix of white, rose and red wines- 2 bottles of each- 6 bottles in total delivered right to your door and we recommend the perfect cheese to pair with each wine! Get all the details of this Valentine's Virtual Tasting here.
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Jean Smullen (right) tells us, via her ever popular Wine Diary, that New Zealand Wine have been reviewing what to do regarding the Dublin Annual Trade Tasting on the 7th March. It is a difficult decision as hoped to go ahead with Covid precautions in place, but the safety and well-being of visitors, exhibitors and staff is paramount. They also want to ensure the tasting a success for everyone involved and are concerned that attendance could be affected given the current infection rates, which would not do the event justice given your investment in it. Having looked at the Irish trade diary, they have decided to postpone to the event to Monday 9th May 2022. The Radisson Blu Hotel venue remains unchanged.
