Much like the clothing industry, the wine industry is getting their spring line up ready for the new season.
Three very spring white wines I’ve recently tasted were in the French way – that is made from French grapes and in a very French style. The grapes were Pinot Gris, Columbard and Viognier.
Other French grapes often found in the Alsace region and in Germany are Gewurztraminer, Muller-Thurgau, and Riesling.
Pinot Gris, also known as Pinot Grigio in Italy, is the grey skinned Pinot grape. Pinot Blanc is the “white” skinned Pinot and Pinot Noir, or Nero in Italian, is the black skinned Pinot grape.
There is another, very obscure cousin to these well-known Pinots and that is Pinot Meunier. It’s rarely found outside of the France’s Champagne region.
These Pinots cousins have one thing in common besides the “Pinot” in their name. They are mutant ninja Pinots. Pinot Gris is a somatic mutation of the genes that control the skin color.
Pinot Blanc is a further mutation and can produce, to further muddy the must, Pinot Gris or Pinot Noir. The DNA profiles of the Gris and Blanc are identical to Pinot Noir.
All this superfluous information is given to help you understand what a finicky grape Pinot can be.
Recently, I happened across the Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Gris and was delighted with the elegance and complexity of the wine.
The elegance and complexity can be attributed to several wine making techniques used to produce this wine. The grapes were pressed rather than crushed to produce smoother flavors. Then the juice was slowly fermented at cold temperatures to enhance the fruit flavors.
Another technique is sur lie which is the practice of conditioning a wine on the spent yeast cells. This produces an additional flavor profile. In addition, fermenting in stainless steel further enhances the fruit flavors.
This would be a great match with salmon whether grilled, smoked or seared. Add a little pasta and a cream sauce and you’re in heaven.
Other pairing candidates could include pork and julienned ginger wrapped in lettuce leaves, halibut with chili jam, shrimp salad with garlic croutons or panko-crusted salmon.
Another stunning wine recently tasted is the Michel Gassier les Piliers 2013 from southern Rhone. This was also made with care by removing 100% of the stems, cold skin contact for 48 hours, partial racking of the must and fermentation in vats.
It’s quite exotic with aromas and flavors of passion fruit, citrus and apricot. Made from 65% Columbard and 35% Viognier, it would pair wonderfully with pasta with Gorgonzola cream, sushi, stir fry or an orange and red onion salad.
We’re all familiar with the fragrant Viognier grape but Columbard is something we may have tasted but didn’t know we tasted. Columbard is one of the blending grapes used in both Cognac and Armagnac.
The prolific grape, Ugni Blanc, or Trebbiano if you were Italian, makes up about 95% of Cognac production.
Trebbiano is one of the most widely planted white grapes in the world. Originally from Italy it is also widely planted in France. It’s most commonly used as a blending grape.
Frascati, another wonderful spring time wine, is a blend of Trebbiano and Malvasia Bianca. Under DOC laws, Frascati can be made in either a dry or a sweet style and either still or in a Spumante (sparkling) style.
The dry table wines are the most popular. They are labeled as Novello, Superiore, or Novello Superiore. The Trebbiano is more delicately flavored with floral notes that add a striking acidity to the wine. Any fish dish would pair very nicely with this dry wine. And you can pretend you’re on some Italian beach.
Another white recently revisited was the Montinore Estate Borealis. Established in 1982, Montinore Estate is a 210-acre Demeter Certified Biodynamic and Certified Organic estate that lies at the northern end of the Willamette Valley appellation.
The vineyards are planted to Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris, Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Müller-Thurgau, and Lagrein.
The 2014 Borealis is a blend of Gewurztraminer, Muller-Thurgau, Riesling, and Pinot Gris. This blend of grapes covers the full fruit spectrum on the nose with peach, yellow apple, pineapple and bright citrus popping out, accented with whiffs of lychee and fresh rose petals.
On the palate it starts with a slightly sweet taste of ripe peach and pear balanced with zingy citrus, which evolves into a delicious crisp finish of tropical and stone fruit. Spicy Asian, Thai or Indian dishes are the way to go for pairing with all that juicy fruit.
Many of these grape varieties can be tasted at Taste Washington which is on April 2nd and 3rd this year. Taste Washington, the nation’s largest single-region wine and food event, brings together over 225 Washington wineries, and 70 restaurants. This is a great opportunity to learn about these grape varieties and what to pair with them. For more information, go to TasteWashington.org
