An explosion of wishy washy mass produced Pinot Grigio has unfairly given this noble grape a bad name in the UK market. But the reality is those naff examples say more about the retailers of them than the grape itself, but look past those labelled as ‘Essential’ or ‘Finest’ (they’ll be anything but!) and there are intense, flavourful examples to be found such as this copper coloured (almost orange) example from Vie di Romans.
Vie di Romans are based in the heart of DOC Friuli Isonzo (Mariano del Friuli), in Friuli-Venezia Giulia, where winemaker Gianfranco Gallo’s 65 hectares of vineyards produce about 250,000 bottles a year. Here, the well-drained soil is stony, glacial and rich in minerals, soaking up rainfall like a sponge. An easterly wind ensures cool night temperatures to temper the hot summer days, with a large diurnal range slowing ripening and allowing the grapes to accumulate flavour. This, along with the low yields that Gallo achieves and his proclivity for picking grapes once fully mature, results in single-vineyard wines of great intensity and richness. As a result, Gallo releases the Vie di Romans wines a year later than the local norm.
This richness is evident in their Pinot Grigio from the ‘Dessimis’ vineyard. It has a coppery ‘ramato’ colour due to a short skin maceration before fermentation and boasts a lovely texture and nutty character. The two parcels of the Dessimis vineyard cover a total of nine hectares in the commune of Mariano del Friuli, at an altitude of 34 metres above sea level. Soils here are shallow and comprise of gravel and reddish-hued clay which contains ferrous and aluminium oxides, and also benefit from good drainage. The vines are 23 years old on average, planted at a density of 6000-7800 per hectare and are guyot trained and spur pruned.
