Pairing Pinot Grigio with food can be quite simple. There’s nothing quite like kicking back on a hot summers day with an ice cold glass and the perfect meal. You may be stuck in the heart of a bustling city, but this little number can transport you to the vineyards of Veneto.
What Does Pinot Grigio Taste Like?
Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris is an extremely popular white wine, grown and produced all over the world, but most notably in northern Italy. The Italian variation is ultimately refreshing, with crisp flavours of green apples, limes, lemons and a little honeysuckle. Varieties from South Australia and many other new world countries will be more tropical in their flavours, with more complexity and body than their Italian counterparts. Both are absolutely delicious, and both offer something quite unique.
Some tend to turn their nose up at Pinot Grigio for being too simple. However to write them all off due to this would be a mistake. Whether you’re tucking in to an offering from Lombardi in northern Italy or Oregon, USA… every Pinot is a little different and we’re confident you’ll find one that floats your boat.
Pairing Pinot Grigio with Food
One simple tip to always keep in mind when pairing food and wine is quite simply, “where is it commonly grown?”. A lot of wines pair well with the produce and dishes in the same region. Pinot Grigio is famous on the north east coast of Italy where fish and seafood reign supreme, so that’s where you start. So think of shrimp, crab, lobster and mussels. Tomato, vegetable and basil dishes. A little carbonara or a seafood risotto. I’d tend to try and avoid red meat dishes, but Pinot will stand up to some chicken, if fish isn’t your kind of supper. A seafood spaghetti is always my preferred choice to go with a good Pinot.
Which Cheeses Go Well with Pinot Grigio?
I know there are certain rules that you should follow, however I can eat any cheese with any wine… and I’m confident it will taste mighty fine. However, if you’re a stickler for the rules, here are a couple of suggestions to get you started. You want to avoid stronger cheeses, like blue cheese, manchego and in excess, parmesan. Instead aim for lighter varieties like mozzarella, ricotta, mascarpone, gruyere or maybe even a little Swiss number.
If you’re feeling a little crazy, put it all together. How about a delicious shrimp spaghetti with some extra mozzarella melted in for extra flavour and texture. Here’s a recipe from damn delicious that we thought looked pretty tasty, and would perfectly partner a Pinot Grigio.
