WBW #41, and my first

I am proud to announce that this is the first wednesday that Im participating in Wine Blogging Wednesday, an idea started by one of my favorite blogs: http://lennthompson.typepad.com/. This week, its hosted by the fine folks at Fork and Bottle who decided we should try a white from the far North-East Italian wine provence of Friuli.



What I anticipated was going to happen was: First, I would find a nice, semi-obscure varietal that would characterize the region. Second, I would like it. Third, I would have nothing but positive things to say about Friuli and have a nice sense of adventure as I wrote this post. Unfortunately, I wound up with .5 out of 3, though not of my own doing. See, I looked up the stock of my favorite local wine store online (a great aid to wine lovers who like to research what they buy before they buy it!) and saw a nice $23 Tocai Fruiliano on sale for $17. So, being that I was busy, I asked my roomate to help me out of my pinch and pick it up for me. He came back with a Pinot Grigio by the same producer for the same price. Not what I had planned on, but lets see what came of it all the same.





Price (Paid in Ithaca NY): $17 (It was on sale from $23)

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Maker: Petrucco

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Vintage: 2005

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Country/Appelation: Italy/ Colli Origientali Del Friuli

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Varietal/Blend: 100% Pinot Grigio

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Special Designations: None

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Nose: On the nose there's light citrusy lemon lime with mild pineapple. The overall smell is rather light and reserved.

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Taste: Decently dark color, would be average chardonnay. On the taste theres a tarter tangerine/orange taste, moving on to a lemony pineapple on the midpalate and kinda dissolving on the finish. A slight effervescence The finish is the only part where the alcohol (13%) shows through, seemingly because theres no flavor to balance against. Not bad, light and easy to drink, but not really that interesting or exciting.

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QPR: Good QPR, as its not flawed as so many Pinot Grigios are, but you can certainly do better for 17 bones.

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Good Pairings: Cheese actually pairs quite well. If you have the privelige of trying cheddar made with champagne, you will find this wine pairs very well. I highly recommend trying Yancy's Fancy cheeses if you have the chance.

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Final Thoughts: I was looking forward to trying something new and exciting, but alas, it was not to be. The Pinot wasn't bad, but I'm not really a fan of Grigio to begin with. Also, I expect more from a wine for $17. Simple as that.