Life's too short to drink cheap wine....

.... unless it's this divine Pinot Grigio from Valdidge, Italy!!

At a typical wine tasting, one will start off with light white wines and slowly build up to the big reds.  Usually, there is a Sauvignon Blanc to start or a dry Riesling. Next comes a Chardonnay or two and then a Rose' to transition into the reds. Beginning with a light red such as a Pinot Noir and then into a  Syrah and Merlot we usually finish with a Cab. A sweet dessert wine will often round out the tasting.

Just as you start off with light whites and build up to big reds, the prices tend to follow suit.

As a result, what I usually end up liking is on the expensive side.

Over the years, my tastes have tended to lean toward the red side of the spectrum with the exception of my unbridled love for Chardonnay. That doesn't mean that I don't enjoy any others; it's just the way my likes have begun to trend. In the summer, I lean more toward whites and in the fall and winter I start transitioning to reds.

Most weekend tastings at my happy place start off with a sparking wine similar to champagne and while I won't turn down a taste, I'm never that excited. It gets your palette ready if nothing else. Next, there's usually a Sauvignon Blanc and everyone knows I'm not a fan. Grapefruit is not my friend and Sav Blancs are a smack of grapefruit in the face. So, until we get to the Chardonnay or a

Chardonnay-esque wine, I just go with the flow, take my sips and anticipate the good stuff.

Well, to my surprise, this past weekend, I not only chose the very FIRST wine on the table but one of the CHEAPEST as my favorite!

Santa Alessandra

 Pinot Grigio

 At under $12 a bottle, this light-bodied, delicate white wine

has a perfect balance of fruit and acidity.

I was pleasantly surprised at my first sip and as the tasting went on, I still favored it of all the Italian whites. While the reds were quite nice, by the end of the tasting, my taste buds were still craving that first Pinot Grigio!

I have nothing against Pinot Grigio at all. In fact, when I first started drinking wine, I recall the mutated Pinot Noir being one of the first transition whites. It was a dry white that I could fathom when I was trying to get out of the "sweet stuff". (For the record though, I NEVER liked Moscato.)

I can't remember the last time I had a Pinot Grigio on a tasting and this one was quite delightful.

My friend, Steve, who I hadn't seen in quite a while, was there and did the tasting with me.

He isn't even a Chardonnay fan and always likes reds best.

 But he even agreed that the Pinot Grigio was delicious!

Just as I suspected, the Pinot Grigio paired excellently with the steamed mussels in wine and garlic appetizer of the night!

Maybe life isn't too short to drink cheap wine after all.

Well, as long as the cheap wine is as good as this one!



Thanks for being my witness and partner-in-crime for this one, Steve!

No one would believe either one of us!