Timeless Thoughts

"It was like certain dinners I remember from the war.  There was much wine, an ignored tension, and a feeling of things coming that you could not prevent happening.  Under the wine I lost the disgusted feeling and was happy.  It seemed they were all such nice people."  The Sun Also Rises, E. Hemingway

Cavit Pinot Grigio - Part 2

Did I say I'm not much of a Pinot Grigio fan? It's true. My tastes in whites tend to run towards the chardonnays and the sauvignon blanc. But the appearance of a Cavit ad on my blog inspired me to give the under-appreciated Pinot Grigio another sip, or two. Cavit bills themselves as the number one Italian wine in America, and who am I to dispute that? (I'm not a numbers person.) Their slogan is "Elevating Life", no doubt a reference to their location in northern Italy, scandalously close to the Dolomite Alps. But the Pinot Grigio grape is founded in the soil of the Alsace region in France, where it is generally known as "Pinot Gris". The crisp white wine grew in popularity quickly, and before you could say, "ciao bella", it jumped the mountains and the border, and spread to Italy, where it flourishes today. Cavit has 50 years of winemaking tradition within the confines of their vineyard. By U.S. standards, that's a decent amount of time to have been making wine. Their grapes come from Trentino's Adige River Valley. One unique quality about the Cavit Pinot Grigio is their use of 100% Pinot Grigio grapes. Intuitively you might think, "well, what else would you put in a Pinot Grigio?" But actually, many vineyards blend the Pinot Grigio grapes with a variety of other whites to generate a complex wine. Cavit ferments their Pinot Grigio in thermo-conditioned tanks in an effort to preserve the freshness of the wine. After tasting their wine this evening, I would say they have achieved their goal here. The 2009 Pinot Grigio (PG hereafter) I sipped this evening had a very light, fresh taste. Cavit recommends serving it ice cold (ok, they used the more acceptable phrase "well-chilled"). But on this chilly day in NE Ohio, I appreciated the complexity of its flavor even more after it "relaxed" for about a half-hour on my kitchen counter. It has a crisp, light character, a pale gold straw color, and a light essence of pear, citrus and acid. All the elements combined to leave you with a soft, generous and well-balanced white with a nice finish. Though I have not been a fan in the past, I will definitely try this again. Perhaps it will become a staple in my wine cellar.

Cavit Wines: Number 1 Italian Wine in the U.S.

Now that statement surprised me. I've tasted my share of Cavit wines. A friend of mine is a regular in the Cavit Pinot Grigio aisle at the grocery store. I've tried their Pinot Grigio, their Cabernet Sauvignon and their Pinot Noir. But Cavit wines are not permanently stocked in my wine cabinet. Mostly because I've never been a big fan, just a so-so fan. And not for any particular reason. They're priced right, usually in the $7.50 to $9.99 range. They're not horrible. They just were never too memorable either. I've found many lovely wines in the same price range that appeal to my tastebuds more than the Cavit.

Perhaps one reason why they can claim they're the number one selling Italian wine in the U.S. is simply because they produce a wide range of moderate priced wines with modest tastes. Many people want to stick with safe and comfortable. There's nothing wrong with that. A lot of wine has been sold and consumed that tastes "safe and comfortable". And to some degree, when you're serving guests, you don't want to go too over the top for the casual wine drinker, so you would want a Cavit wine for that occasion.

But now Cavit is advertising their Pizza Contest on my blog and I'm feeling torn. The winner will win a trip to ITALY! How can I not LOVE Cavit wine? How can I not tell you all to rush right out and buy a case? And while you're at it, enter to win. Well, I just can't. But, since it's been several years since I've sipped a Cavit wine, I'm going to try them again.

I'm making a pledge. I promise to taste (or in the case of Cavit Wine, re-taste) the wine of any Winery that advertises on my blog and give you my thoughts. Tonight we're having fish for dinner. I think I'll try the Cavit Chardonnay. Check back later for my thoughts.

Ciao!