Island Life Magazine Ltd June/July 2018 | Page 119

Food & Drink
Cheers to the great
Pinot Grigio!
Mention Pinot Grigio to a wine connoisseur and they
will probably show very little interest, if any at all. In fact,
thanks to mass production, poor old Pinot Grigio has
become a by-word for the bottom line in wine quality.
Strange then that sales have
skyrocketed in the past 20 years
as it has become one of the best-
sellers in supermarkets, pubs and
restaurants all over the world. This
in turn has led to it being planted in
almost every winegrowing country
in the world. However, there’s
light at the end of the tunnel - a
new breed of innovative, artisan
wine makers in countries such as
Italy, France and Slovenia, who are
turning the Pinot Grigio back into
its original state of deliciousness.
An extraordinary example of
this is the Sivi Pinot Ambra by the
Movia Winery, one of the finest
producers in Brda, Slovenia, close
to the Italian border. The wine is
made naturally, with minimal human
intervention, no synthetic chemicals
added and very little sulphites.
All of which makes it a perfect
choice for Isle of Wight-based
ecological wine specialists
Meadowdale Wines. Founded
in 2014, this boutique wine
company trades all over the UK
via Internet and to the trade.
They are a small dedicated team
running the business, constantly
on the hunt for new and exciting
wines, conducting frequent tastings
in restaurants and at wine fairs
and keeping their knowledge up
to date through qualifications with
WSET and The Court of Master
Sommeliers. Their mission is to
source handcrafted, ecological,
sustainably made wines from small to
medium sized producers who have a
passion and drive to make wine with
respect for nature and the consumer.
They are particularly excited
about the medium to full bodied
skin contact Pinot Grigio 2011.
The first thing to amaze you is the
colour – concentrated golden with
a slight haziness, not the bleached,
watery variety you often see. There
is balanced acids and aroma and
it is broad and rich on the palate,
almost late-harvest in style with
lots of peach, honey and melon
flavours. This is a very unusual
Pinot Grigio in every aspect - colour,
richness, intensity. The real thing!
Contact Meadowdale Ecological
Wines on 07391 103310 or find
them at 35 Ashey Road, Ryde, PO33
2UT. www.meadowdalewines.com.
Inspiration for this article
comes from the Blog “Pinot
Grigio: The wine’s Frog Prince”
by Sommelier Andrea Martinisi:
www.baccopolo.com
www.visitilife.com
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