National Pinot Grigio Day with Villa Sandi

Annually on May 17th the world celebrates National Pinot Grigio Day. Since my allergies have been kicking in this week and my taste buds haven’t been the best, I wanted to share a bottle of Pinot Grigio that I tried from Villa Sandi at Easter. With the warm days creeping upon us in the northeast I couldn’t think of a reason not to suggest this refreshing white wine to celebrate not only today, but the start to the weekend. 

Since today is all about the Pinot Grigio grape let’s take a look at the grape itself. You may ask yourself, is Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris the same grape? The answer is yes! You will hear it called Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris depending on the country or parts within the country in which you find this grape. Pinot Grigio is typically found in Italy, specifically the northeastern part of Italy in the regions of the Veneto, Friuli, and Trentino-Alto Adige. You will find Pinot Gris in France where it originated, along with Oregon, and New Zealand. In California you may see it called either Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris. 

Pinot Grigio is a grayish grape, hence the name Grigio in Italian that translates to graw. As the grape ripens it becomes pinkish with some slight purple huesd It is not actually a grape variety itself, but it is a clone of Pinot Noir. Although it is difficult to generalize this grape across the world as it has a range of flavor profiles and textures depending on where Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris is grown. Overall, it produces white wines that are dry with a lower acidity that display fruity aromas and notes of citrus, stone fruit, tropical fruits, apple and pear. I fell in love with the many styles of Pinot Grigio in Collio upon my trip last summer. Such a wide variety of styles including their unique orange wines which are a must try!

Copyright of Consorzio Vini DOC delle Venezie

The Wine 

Villa Sandi is owned by Giancarlo Moretti Polegato and the winery’s headquarters in a 1622 Palladian style villa are found in the heart of the Prosecco wine region. You can read more about the winery in my previous feature on Villa Sandi.  

Copyright of Consorzio Vini DOC delle Venezie

The 2021 Villa Sandi Pinot Grigio delle Venezie DOC is grown in one of the 20 territorial DOC’s that fall under the Pinot Grigio from the delle Venezie designation. This was a bright pale straw color in the glass. Not heavy on the aromatics, but very light and crisp on the palate. Notes of citrus and tart green apple. A pleasant, easy drinking wine to pop open on any occasion and only priced at $10-12. ABV 11.5%

Enjoy your Friday and start it off by popping a bottle of your favorite Pinot Grigio this National Pinot Grigio Day!

You can shop on Wine.com in support of Vino Travels and find a variety of Pinot Grigio wines to try for yourself.

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*This wine was provided as a sample, but opinions are always my own.