Brigado, erm, Grigio

It's hard to believe, but when I was at Journalist College, I often reached the lofty heights of top of my class. However, my stock fell lower than a Wall Street soothsayer when I wrote an article regarding the disposition of the average Italian. I won't go into detail, but it's safe to say that what I thought was a playful piece toying with European stereotypes actually bordered dangerously close to blatant racism.

Good old Italy, great place for a holiday. Just don't go with more than half a dozen friends or they'll ask you to form a government. Ho ho.

Anyway, it doesn't take a cheap amateur hack like me to remind us of the great and iconic wines that hails from Italy; Barolo, Chianti Classico, Brunello and the super Tuscans are all well known names but there's also Pinot Grigio, which is essentially little more than an unstable mutation of Pinot Noir. You'd be safe putting a few bucks on the fact that I don't care much for the variety, or wave flags for it's Alsace cousin, Pinot Gris. There's been a torrent of Pinot Grigio coming out of Italy, some of it OK, some not so OK and some that you might consider using on your Gran's brass. For some reason it's proved to be a massively popular import into the US, and there's also more and more producers in Australia that are experimenting with both the Gris and Grigio styles. Imagine my surprise then, when I found myself purchasing a bottle of Yalumba Y Series Pinot Grigio 2008. I've no idea why I did it, maybe it was heat, maybe it was the pressure. Either way, I'm glad I did as the Yalumba is a great summer wine for under $10. It's a zippy little thing, with lots of crunchy green apples, citrus as well as some tropical and blossom notes. The acidity is bright, and might have a row or two with your reflux, but chill it down when it's hot, serve it with some seafood and you're onto a winner. Not often I'm surprised by wine, but this is one of them. The Y series seems to have a growing reputation for delivering good, affordable wines and I'm starting to see why.

Anyway, stay cool. Be seeing you.