Santo Stefano 2008 Pinot Grigio

I'm not a Pinot Grigo fan.  So much of what passes as acceptable is rather weak and tasteless.  But there are exceptions.  The other night, Mary produced a wonderful dinner consisting of a pan fried veal chop with sweet peppers and onions, with a sweet potato and mushrooms as perfect side dishes.  The wine at hand was a Santo Stefano 2008 Pinot Gregio.  This wine comes from the Veneto region.  It was a very pleasant surprise.  It was crisp, lively, with nice fruit and an almost honey flavor.  The finish was long and elegant, very fresh and exciting.  At first taste the fruit exploded to the roof of my mouth and lingered downwards.  It was straw colored with an odd pinkish hue.  Very different.  The Wine Grapevine  reviewed it very favorably:

"The De Stefani family have been tending their vines and producing wines for four generations in the Veneto region.Their Pinot Grigio is produced from grapes from their Pra' Longo estate and their belief is that the clay soil there, combined with its proximity to both the sea and the mountains, gives the wine a unique character and produces impressive complexity and depth of flavour. Its delicate and elegant nose offers attractive fresh fruit, which follows through to a rich, smooth, full-bodied palate. Although the sumptuous fruit dominates, there is underlying nuttiness to add interest and it feels smooth and well-balanced throughout the long, flavoursome finish."

I recommend this wine.  It's enjoyable and gives much more than the usual Pinot Gregio.  You will enjoy the price, as well.