Erste & Neue Pinot Grigio Alto Adige DOC 2018

Erste & Neue Pinot Grigio 2018 from the Alto Adige region of Italy is light in colour with a slight pink tinge which comes from the white Pinot Gris grapes.  The aromas are quite subtle – and if the wine is too cold they will be difficult to appreciate – but fruit is the overriding feature – citrus, pears, ripe green apple with hints of herbs and honeysuckle.  The cool temperature fermentation shows in the dominance of fruit flavours – pears, white peach, lychee, lime cordial and green apple – but there is added complexity from the ageing of the wine on its lees.

Erste & Neue Pinot Grigio has quite a delicate texture but at the same time it coats the mouth with its delicious fruit flavours, creaminess and hint of warm spice. This is an elegant wine, medium-bodied yet light with distinctive aromas and a complex palate. I love this wine. Pinot Gris is not as popular as it ought to be in my opinion; many people have been put off by the many commercial versions – inexpensive, easy to drink, light wines which are sometimes bitter and often lacking in any fruit flavours.  This top end Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris from Italian winery, Erste & Neue, is something quite different, a really classy white wine.