Kris Pinot Grigio IGT
Wine: Kris Pinot Grigio IGT
Grape: pinot grigio
Region: Delle Venezie, northeast Italy
Vintage: 2010
Price: $9.99
In the glass: Kris Pinot Grigio is a light butter-yellow color with a star-bright core going out into a faint glass-clear rim definition with high viscosity.
On the nose: There are fresh notes of crushed white fruit from pomelo, white cranberries, stone rose, white flowers, Asian pear and subtle hints of rose and white corn as well as soft minerality in an altogether wonderfully fragrant package.
On the palate: The wine is ultra-suave with a sweetish pear and white currant entry followed by citrus rind, dried apricots, buttery anise components, no traces of wood and that lively mineral component so desirable in a pinot grigio. The midpalate is lovely and balanced, marrying the white fruit with the acidity just right and transitioning into the surprisingly long finish with a zesty Key lime kick.
Odds and ends: "The Art of Wine" is the theme of a series of interesting looking bottles that form the portfolio of super tasty Kris wines. Coming from the northern part of Italy, just above Venice and in the area known as Alto Adige and the appellation of Delle Venezie, these are crisp and cool-climate wines, not unlike those found in Burgundy or the Loire Valley in France. U.S. importer Winebow, under the leadership of Leonardo Locascio, is responsible for finding and bringing this cool wine to market, and Locascio deserves applause for being such a consumer champion.
Kris Pinot Grigio is selling for just about half the price of the market leader Santa Margherita but easily wins in a taste-off and therefore delivers true value to consumers. Cool it down to drinking temperature, which is about 50 degrees Fahrenheit. This excellent white wine is just perfect for the in-season stone crab or oysters. It should be consumed within this year.
Gil Lempert-Schwarz’s wine column appears Wednesdays. Write him at P.O. Box 50749, Henderson, NV 89106-0749, or email him at gil@winevegas.com.
