Celebration of National Pinot Grigio Day with Ca'Montini

Next Tuesday February 17th is National Pinot Grigio Day and with the warm weather hitting New Hampshire this week I figured I’d pop open a bottle early in celebration. If you ask me where I prefer to drink Pinot Grigio from I’m always going to direct you to the northeastern wine regions of Italy. Today’s bottle I picked up at the store, a 2018 Ca’Montini Pinot Grigio Trentino DOC, is from the Trentino-Alto Adige region, but more specifically Trentino in the southern portion of the region. 

The Region ~ Trentino 

The capital of Trentino is Trento, which I luckily visited the last time I was in that area. It was about an hour train ride north out of Verona. A beautiful town with the picturesque Alps and Dolomites looming all around. As you can imagine this is a mountainous region with many lakes and rivers with the most important being the Adige River, which divides the valley in two and is known for being one of the longest rivers in Italy.  

Copyright of Consorzio Vini del Trentino

This wine hails from the Trentino DOC that was established in 1971 and is rather encompassing throughout the region from Lake Garda to the Cembra Valley. White wine production dominates Trentino at around 74% per the Consorzio’s site including grapes like Muller Thurgau, Nosiola, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio and Traminer.  

The Winery ~ Ca’Montini 

I couldn’t locate too much on the Ca’Montini estate, but it is one of the brands under EnoItalia, a global producer and exporter of Italian wines. The idea of producing wines under this brand stemmed from the reknown enologist, Riccardo Cotarella. These vines were planted in 1990 and occupy 74 acres of vineyards that are managed and owned by 3 local families that hand harvest the grapes. 

The Wine 

The 2018 Ca’Montini Pinot Grigio Terre di Valfredda Trentino DOC is made from 100% Pinot Grigio. These grapes are harvested from a single vineyard in Ala, which consists of 3 small vineyard plots known to the locals as Valfredda or cold valley. Straw colored with aromas of mostly citrus with some pineapple and yes, wet rocks. The wine was bone dry on the palate with a crisp acidity and tart lemon flavors with a hint of green apple lingering through to the finish. Simple, but pleasing. ABV 12.5% SRP $15 

There are plenty of mass marketing Pinot Grigio out there, but what are some of your favorites? 

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