Pinot Gris

On Friday, November 22, 2024, we did a vertical Maryland pinot gris tasting with food pairings. This grape is grown all around the world but it originates in France and is most well-known from, specifically, Alsace. You may be more  familiar with pinot grigio, which is made from the same grape in Italy but in a different style. The French, pinot gris is known for being more complex, fuller-bodied and lower in acidity. While less ripe, earlier harvested varieties can have notes of melon, apple, pear and lemon, pinot gris is commonly riper and  harvested later in the season. This will create more stone and/or tropical fruit flavors on the palate, along with the minerality France is known for. For this tasting, we had three Maryland pinot gris, one from Libertas Estates Winery, one from Boordy Vineyards and one from Serpent Ridge Vineyards. For the menu, we had chicken piccata bites, pesto pasta salad, cesar salad cups, fried polenta and ham balls, cheddar, olives, crispy prosciutto, anchovies and guacamole. The Libertas pinot gris we did a bottle review podcast on - check it out! That had nice aromas of lemon, orange peel and charcoal, pear and yellow apple on the palate and a ginger, almond finish. It was high acid so it paired really well with most of the food but especially the cesar salad cups and prosciutto. The Boordy pinot gris had aromas of green apple, lavender and stone with lemon and pear on the palate. It was also high acid so it paired well with especially the chicken piccata bites, guacamole and pesto pasta salad. Lastly, the Serpent Ridge was the most floral and least acidic but still probably medium plus. It was very clean and fresh with notes of lemon, pear and melon. It paired best with the polenta and ham balls, cheddar and olives. We very much enjoyed this tasting and hope you can get your hands on some or all of these wines. Pinot gris seems to be growing in popularity in Maryland lately and a lot of the wineries are putting out single varietals of it. Cheers!

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MD Merlot 2024