This was the prize at the end of a long day of road trippin’.   My wife created a special occasion all our own when she pulled this Grigio from the fridge and made it a featured element in a light, enjoyable dinner.  Pretty sure I’ve had the Ruffino before (maybe even wrote about that experience here?) but it couldn’t have worked as well as it did on this evening.  The Ruffino, fruity and cool, accompanied a perfectly cooked pork loin and a fresh salad of mixed greens, onions, apple slices, and blue cheese.  This white counterpunched well with the salad for sure and I loved that both of us were working the stemmed stuff.

Ruffino Pinot Grigio 2012 Lumina, Italy.

This is the good script from the winemaker: “Lumina is produced from Pinot Grigio grapes grown in vineyards located in the beautiful northeastern region of Italy.  This well-balanced wine reveals delicious notes of pairs and citrus fruit and delivers a fragrant, fruity finish.”

They definitely have a way with words, but the whole picture comes across much better when you see it in context with our meal here.  Hope you enjoy as much as we did.

With the ebbing of the summer comes this light, delicious dinner that accompanied the 2010 Santa Marina Pinot Grigio.  As noted herein, we have sampled grigios all season long and had this one with grilled chicken, a caprese salad, and fantastic corkscrew pasta.  This Santa Marina was okay.  Nothing spectacular in the Santa Margherita class or even the Ecco Domani realm, but a solid entry nevertheless.  My own palate is not refined enough to articulate what I’m tasting, but I can stand behind this ranking.

A delicious porch dinner included this 2011 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio, probably our favorite white and the one to which all others are (at least presently) compared.  Candle?  Check.  Ambiance?  Check. Great company?  Got that too.  Our meal consisted of a couple of swordfish steaks, grilled to perfection, and some delicious garlic mashed potatoes and grilled asparagus with burnt butter and lemon sauce.  Combined with the Santa Margherita, it all made for a great evening on the patio.

2011 Santa Marghertia Pinot Grigio.

Here’s what the winemaker offers in terms of notes: “Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio is the benchmark by which all other Pinot Grigios are judged.  The wine boasts a fresh, clean fragrance that is followed by a crisp, refreshing flavor with hints of citrus fruits.  This wine is well-structured and sophisticated, a perfect choice for entertaining!”

This night, it entertained us.

As the sultry summer slugs slowly onward, we decided preventative medicine would include a white wine along with our dinner tonight.  We had an amazing meal (pictured below) of Italian turkey sausage, spiral pasta, and a warm vegetable salad that included organic rainbow chard, mushrooms, zucchini, and garlic.  Our ongoing pinot parade required the performance of the DaVinci Pinot Grigio, on this occasion the 2010.

DaVinci Pinot Grigio 2010

As I understand it, this light white originates from the Trentino-Alto Adige region of Italy.  Here’s what the big shots have to say about this vino:

DaVinci Pinot Grigio has a brilliant light straw color and a full, ripe palate. It is an extremely well-balanced wine with a bouquet of floral aromas coupled with ripe flavors of fresh apple, citrus, and tropical fruit flavors. This crisp, clean Pinot Grigio finishes with notes of minerals and a vibrant acidity.

I concur with this assessment and would be back for more.

Our summer of the Grigio stays in high gear as we enjoyed this light summer fare at the end of a sultry Sunday afternoon.  We pulled together some delicious shrimp on the grill, where we also blazed up some fresh mango to go with a fresh salad and jasmine rice.  The Domani was predictably enjoyable.  Not an earth-shattering success by my standards, but a solid double into the gap.

Meal that accompanied our Ecco Domani Pinot Grigio 2010

The mango was an experiment; I’d rather have it fresh and cool than grilled in the future but it did work well.  The rice and shrimp, though, were definite highlights.

The San Giuseppi Pinot Grigio was, at least in 2011, a pretty nice, affordable Italian white.  Definite rich taste and a fresh sniff for your nose…liked this one a lot and it seemed to approach the Margherita territory at a less expensive price point.  I’m slightly behind the posting of this wine, though, so can no longer say what meal originally accompanied this nice breath of fresh air.

2011 San Giuseppi Pinot Grigio, Venezia region of Italy.

The summer pinot parade continued today with the 2010 Ruffino offering…not really the best.  Don’t misunderstand–it wasn’t awful either, but rather a middle-of-the-pack wine.  It was a value buy on our part, and we’ll hopefully encounter better grapes and vintages in the future.  The folks at Ruffino packed a powerful whiff of pear and floral fragrances into this little bottle, and we did drink it down with big smiles on our faces.   Here’s a little something from the winemaker:

“Crisp, aromatic and full of body.  Lumina is a versatile match with food.  Serve as an apertif or with dishes such as soft shell crabs, grilled fish, pasta primavera, and roasted chicken.  Lumina also pairs well with ethnic dishes such as Mexican enchiladas, Greek dolmas, and Thai green curries.”

Ruffino Pinot Grigio Lumina 2010, from the Tuscany region of Italy.

Can’t believe it has been since November 15th of last year that we had occasion to enjoy this pinot grigio.  This double dose was a great way to kick off our holiday and welcome our brother into town for the Memorial Day weekend.  This grigio accompanied a delicious salmon, grilled to perfection on our deck, and coated with a barbecue and blueberry marinade.  A little asparagus with browned butter and lemon on the side, together with baby potatoes, and voila you’ve got a treat.

2010 Ecco Domani, Pinot Grigio, Italy.

We polished these bottles off over some good stories told around the patio and dining room tables, smiling plenty and enjoying the light, fruity bouquet.  Grown in the northeastern “Tre Venezie” region of Italy, the 2010 actually blends pinot grigio (88.5%) and chardonnay grapes (11.5%).  According to the winemaker, “This wine has a clear, straw yellow color, with light golden reflections. A low concentration of surmaturo grapes gives the wine tropical fruit notes that make this unique vintage truly exotic, with apple and pineapple aromas and flavors. The wine is light bodied, with a pleasantly soft palate and a long finish.”

All good stuff.  And interesting to reflect back on our first occasion with the Ecco Domani and think about what the next one might hold.