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The Society's Pinot Grigio 2020

4.086956500 star rating 23 Reviews
This elegant Italian pinot grigio really hits the spot. Made exclusively for us, we ensure that it has precision, balance and charm. With lemon and honeysuckle perfume, and granny smith apple notes on the palate this is a refreshing pinot grigio to enjoy by itself or a bowl of carbonara. An International Wine Challenge bronze medal winner in 2021.
is no longer available
Code: IT31001

Wine characteristics

  • White Wine
  • 1 - Bone dry
  • Pinot Gris
  • 13% Alcohol
  • no oak influence
  • Screwcap

North East Italy

Three regions constitute this wide and varied area. In the very north-east, abutting Slovenia and Croatia lies Friuli-Venezia Giulia. South and east of Venice spreads the broad swathe of the Veneto, one of Italy's main wine producing areas in terms of volume. Finally, falling from the foothills of the Dolomites is Trentino-Alto Adige.

Since the 1970s Friuli-Venezia Giulia has earned a fine reputation for high-quality white wines and a burgeoning one for reds. Most of the estates here are family owned with some co-operatives dotted around. Much of the inland area is hilly or mountainous with flatter vineyards sited around the Isonzo River as it comes down to the sea. The two principal white wine making areas are the Friuli Colli Orientali in the north-west and Collio Goriziano in the centre and east around the curve of the Slovenian border.

The Orientali vineyards are in the lee of the Julian Alps and are cooler than the vineyards of Collio Goriziano though they are protected from...

Three regions constitute this wide and varied area. In the very north-east, abutting Slovenia and Croatia lies Friuli-Venezia Giulia. South and east of Venice spreads the broad swathe of the Veneto, one of Italy's main wine producing areas in terms of volume. Finally, falling from the foothills of the Dolomites is Trentino-Alto Adige.

Since the 1970s Friuli-Venezia Giulia has earned a fine reputation for high-quality white wines and a burgeoning one for reds. Most of the estates here are family owned with some co-operatives dotted around. Much of the inland area is hilly or mountainous with flatter vineyards sited around the Isonzo River as it comes down to the sea. The two principal white wine making areas are the Friuli Colli Orientali in the north-west and Collio Goriziano in the centre and east around the curve of the Slovenian border.

The Orientali vineyards are in the lee of the Julian Alps and are cooler than the vineyards of Collio Goriziano though they are protected from northerly winds and have a more continental climate. They sit at altitudes of between 330 and 1200 metres on soils that were once beneath the ocean, so marl and sandstone predominate. The Collio Goriziano vineyards enjoy slightly greater influence from the Adriatic to the south, though the cool air draining from the higher ground in the north plays its part, and the vineyards sit upon the many steep slopes in this hilly country.

Pinot grigio was an early success here and is still widely made, but chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and pinot bianco have joined local varieties like tocai fiuliano, picolit and verduzzo in producing some of Italy's freshest and most interesting white wines. Local varieties like schioppetino and refosco have struggled to find an audience outside of the region in the past though this is changing, and some Bordeaux blends from the Grave region of free draining alluvial soils are making people sit up and take notice.

Trentino-Alto Adige was once part of the Austro-Hungarian empire and in the northern parts of the province (Alto Adige) German is still widely spoken. Indeed, the architecture, food and customs owe much to their Teutonic roots and there are elements that remain in the vineyards that echo a Germanic past. Riesling is planted here and the village of Tramin gave its name to the gewürztraminer grape which is now so widely planted in another region with Germanic influences, Alsace. To reinforce that comparison, sylvaner, muscat, müller-thurgau and pinot gris (grigio) are also to be found here.

Alto Adige is also known as the Süd-Tyrol (South Tyrol) and lies on the border with Austria and is Italy's most northerly wine region. Here the vines grow in the foothills of the Alps, on the lower slopes along the Adige Valley. Altitudes vary between 200 and 1000 metres. White wines made the reputation of the region for their lively, fresh purity but reds are grown here too. Schiava and the burlier lagrein are the indigenous varieties much used here, though bracing cabernet sauvignon and merlot wines are made from plantings that can struggle to ripen and escape some greenness. Some very fine pinot noir wines are having an impact for their high-class and poise.

The Veneto is something of a vinous bread basket. The soils are fertile, which is not usually propitious for fine wine production, and officially permitted yields are unacceptably high. The region produces enormous quantities of everyday wines for exporting and blending but also embraces the Valpolicella region where the jewel in the crown is Valpolicella Amarone, the sweetly rich, full-bodied expression of semi-dried corvina and rondinella grapes that is sought after the world over. Though bulk production, particularly through large and highly-efficient co-operatives, is still prevalent the improvements in winemaking and viticulture are clear, and there are many producers in formerly workaday DOCs like Valpolicella and Soave who are turning their corvina, rondinella, garganega and trebbiano di lugana (turbiano) grapes into vinous gems. Prosecco is also produced here from the glera grape in the hills around Conigliano almost due north of Venice, and is something of a worldwide phenomenon in terms of sales volume. As ever, there is a lot of basic fizz but the producers who take a little more care in vineyards and wineries are making delicious bubblies at all price levels.

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Alpha Zeta

New Zealander Matt Thomson began his winemaking career in the late 1980s after graduating from the University of Otago. Since 1992 he has been building a reputation as a premium producer of Marlborough sauvignon blanc, but for almost just as long he has also acted as a consultant at wineries in France and Italy.

In 1999, he decided to realise his ambition of creating a range of modern, good quality wine from vines in the beautiful hillsides surrounding the city of Verona, and the Alpha Zeta brand was born.

Many brands from this area of the north-eastern Veneto region buy their grapes in bulk from a range of sources, but Matt knew that he could have better control over quality and vineyard practice if he instead chose to work with a select handful of growers. He now works with just two co-operatives whose vineyards cover 1,900 hectares in the Valpantena Valley to the north of Verona. The star grapes for Matt’s wines are pinot grigio and the cherry-scented corvina variety.

Cool breezes sweep the valley from the foothills of the Dolomites, moderating the temperature and helping the grapes to ripen at a slow and steady pace. This means that harvesting grapes later – something Matt ensures the growers do – helps the fruit to reach its ideal ripeness. The poor, chalky soil also means the roots dig deeper for moisture, putting the vines under stress and increasing the grapes’ concentration, and the Alpha Zeta growers restrict yields to enhance this flavour intensity even further.
New Zealander Matt Thomson began his winemaking career in the late 1980s after graduating from the University of Otago. Since 1992 he has been building a reputation as a premium producer of Marlborough sauvignon blanc, but for almost just as long he has also acted as a consultant at wineries in France and Italy.

In 1999, he decided to realise his ambition of creating a range of modern, good quality wine from vines in the beautiful hillsides surrounding the city of Verona, and the Alpha Zeta brand was born.

Many brands from this area of the north-eastern Veneto region buy their grapes in bulk from a range of sources, but Matt knew that he could have better control over quality and vineyard practice if he instead chose to work with a select handful of growers. He now works with just two co-operatives whose vineyards cover 1,900 hectares in the Valpantena Valley to the north of Verona. The star grapes for Matt’s wines are pinot grigio and the cherry-scented corvina variety.

Cool breezes sweep the valley from the foothills of the Dolomites, moderating the temperature and helping the grapes to ripen at a slow and steady pace. This means that harvesting grapes later – something Matt ensures the growers do – helps the fruit to reach its ideal ripeness. The poor, chalky soil also means the roots dig deeper for moisture, putting the vines under stress and increasing the grapes’ concentration, and the Alpha Zeta growers restrict yields to enhance this flavour intensity even further.

In the winery, grapes undergo cool fermentation in order to retain their fruity aromas. Matt’s skill at realising the huge potential of Veronese wines made him the obvious choice for The Society’s Pinot Grigio, which comes from a single vineyard for added precision of flavour.
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Italy Vintage 2020

2020 will always be the year that winemakers, and owners spent the year in the vineyards. As lockdowns around the world prevented travel many of our Italian suppliers talked of the silver lining of suddenly being able to get fully hands on again focusing time in their vineyards, tending to vines and reflecting on the year. The vintage will be special for this, with a level of scrutiny that can’t often be afforded to each vine, and an ability to manage vineyard processes with micro precision. The generally warm, dry season has led to good levels of concentration, albeit on slightly lower than average yields, promising good reds and securing Italy as a good choice for members looking for character and interest delivered at all price points.

Looking at Tuscany in a little more detail, winemakers have spoken very positively about the 2020 sangiovese harvest which showed wonderfully intense aromatics from early on.

In Piedmont, winemakers were very positive about how 2020 played out with ...
2020 will always be the year that winemakers, and owners spent the year in the vineyards. As lockdowns around the world prevented travel many of our Italian suppliers talked of the silver lining of suddenly being able to get fully hands on again focusing time in their vineyards, tending to vines and reflecting on the year. The vintage will be special for this, with a level of scrutiny that can’t often be afforded to each vine, and an ability to manage vineyard processes with micro precision. The generally warm, dry season has led to good levels of concentration, albeit on slightly lower than average yields, promising good reds and securing Italy as a good choice for members looking for character and interest delivered at all price points.

Looking at Tuscany in a little more detail, winemakers have spoken very positively about the 2020 sangiovese harvest which showed wonderfully intense aromatics from early on.

In Piedmont, winemakers were very positive about how 2020 played out with warm but not too hot weather through August and September, allowing for a low pressure October harvest. The diurnal temperature fluctuations on the warmer days is also being credited for the highly aromatic nature of wines that will need time to develop. Expectation were and remain high.
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Italia!

Awarded an International Wine Challenge bronze medal in 2021, [this] celebrates the best qualities of the pinot grigio grape. Light and drinkable, yet sophisticated and well-balanced enough to drink on...
Awarded an International Wine Challenge bronze medal in 2021, [this] celebrates the best qualities of the pinot grigio grape. Light and drinkable, yet sophisticated and well-balanced enough to drink on its own, it is bone-dry and at 13% abv has plenty of structure. Brimming with apple, zippy lemon zest and mango, it is excellent value for money.
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Scottish Field

Forget wishy-washy wine bar pinot grigio – this bottle demonstrates that you can get great fruit concentration without breaking the bank. Peach and red apple on the nose map through to the...
Forget wishy-washy wine bar pinot grigio – this bottle demonstrates that you can get great fruit concentration without breaking the bank. Peach and red apple on the nose map through to the palate where they’re joined by noticeable yet well-proportioned residual sugar to balance the acidity.
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- Peter Ranscombe

JancisRobinson.com

Pears on the nose and masses of fresh fruit. This is real wine with confident palate-entry and structure! Even if it's not as complex as a more expensive Pinot Grigio. Well done! Good value.

16/20

The Daily Record

Confusingly, "grey" pinot can take different forms. One is the floral, tropical fruit, low acidity style of central Italy's pinot grigio. Equally though, there are the richer, spicier...
Confusingly, "grey" pinot can take different forms. One is the floral, tropical fruit, low acidity style of central Italy's pinot grigio. Equally though, there are the richer, spicier and fresher New Zealand and Alsace versions (usually labelled as pinot gris). This guy sits up somewhere in the middle, bringing us ripe melon and greengage flavours embellished with firm lime acidity and coupled with clover and apple peel components and background spiciness.
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- Brian Elliott

midweekwines.co.uk

As we know, “grey” pinot can take different forms varying between the floral, tropical fruit, low acidity style of Central Italy’s “pinot grigio” and those richer,...
As we know, “grey” pinot can take different forms varying between the floral, tropical fruit, low acidity style of Central Italy’s “pinot grigio” and those richer, spicier and fresher New Zealand or Alsace versions (usually labelled as “pinot gris”). Sitting somewhere in the middle comes [this wine] bringing us ripe melon and greengage flavours embellished by firm lime acidity coupled with clover and apple peel components and background spiciness.
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- Brian Elliott

The Times

Good, ordinary, leap-out-of-the-glass, summery white wine that will go with everything  ... mouth-watering, bright, light, leafy …

Jane MacQuitty

The Times

The perfect fridge-door summer white with mouth-watering, vibrant, leafy, juicy pear fruit.

- Jane MacQuitty

2019 vintage reviews
2018 vintage reviews

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