Saturday 4 February Pinot Gris – Grigio – Sivi and Grauburgunder Ramato Tasting.
“White wine made of Pinot Gris grapes doesn’t exist. It is a hoax”
Milan Nestarec, Moravian winemaker.
Enjoying Pinot Grigio nowadays can be a little complicated. Often associated with bulk- and supermarket wine clouded the grape’s perception.
Even if Pinot Grigio, after Chardonnay and Sauvigon Blanc, is one of most used grape varieties worldwide for making white wine, Pinot Grigio – Pinot Gris – Sivi Pino or Grauburgunder are not white grapes.
It is a mutation of Pinot Noir, known in Burgundy since the Middle Ages and has a grey-rosey sometimes even dark blue skin.
In the 1300s it found its way to Switzerland. From there the grape travelled to Hungary where they call it Szürkebarát (grey monk) and finally to northern Italy, spanning Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Veneto and Trentino-Alto Adige.
The real story of Pinot Grigio was born.
The grey skinned grape gives the wine a coppery amber hue and that is how this style got the name Ramato, deriving from ‘rame’, meaning ‘copper’ in Italian. Extended skin contact adds unique flavours, aroma and structural complexity. Ramato wines give off notes of spices, herbs and dried or tropical fruit. They are tannic with a good structured balance and a dry, savoury edge.
This type of wine is incredibly food friendly and pairs beautifully with all kinds of meat, including white meat, prosciutto and salami as well as shellfish, pasta and many Asian flavours.
Particularly suitable to pair with vegan and vegetarian dishes thanks to its elegance and gentle character.