Morovino Winery

2009 Pinot Grigio
Light and Lovely
$18

Click here for a virtual tasting with Mrs. Vino.

Some years you just need to deal with the grapes Mother Nature gives you.  And in 2009 Mother Nature was laughing her butt off.  The day of the Pinot Grigio harvest it rained.  While we were waiting 2 days for the grapes to dry off, the weather spiked to 105 degrees.  We finally got the grapes to the crush pad, and they were sweeeeeet.  We tested them and discovered that if we did another dry Pinot Grigio, it could end up at 17% alcohol!  OK, that’s a Pinot Grigio Port and that just doesn’t really work.  In 2009 I learned that my job as winemaker was to start with really delicious grapes, and then do with them what Mother Nature intended.  So towards the end of fermentation, we tasted every couple of hours and found that perfect palate pivot point (OK, say THAT 5 times really fast) and then chilled the wine down to stop fermentation.  The result – a happy accident.  A little fruity on the front.  Very clean on the finish.  And ALL Pinot Grigio.

One of the most popular wines in the tasting room, this wine is great as a cocktail sipper, or try it with Golden Beet and Mango Salad (recipe follows).

AWARDS – Silver Medal, 2011 San Francisco Chronicle Wine Competition

GEEK SPEAK
Alcohol, 12.9%
Residual Sugar, 2.0%
pH, 3.2
Brix at Harvest, 24

GOLDEN BEET AND MANGO SALAD

1 lb. Golden beets with tops on (you may need an extra bunch of beet greens, depending on how leafy your beets are)
3 mangos, cubed (OR, use the yummy packages of presliced mangos from Costco and just cube them). Mangos are stinkers to peel and cut up.
½ C. rice wine vinegar (unseasoned)
6 T. Truffle Oil (Mrs. Vino’s favorite)
3 green onions
¼ t. red pepper flakes
4T goat cheese

Remove the tops from the beets. Place beets in boiling water. You will want to let them cook for about 40 minutes if they are big or about 10 minutes if they are baby beets—they are done when you can insert a fork almost half way into the beet. While the beets are cooking, wash the beet tops thoroughly and drain. Mrs. Vino means REALLY thoroughly. Beet green are usually really muddy and gritty. Cut or break the stems of the leaves off and discard—leaving only the leafy tops that are filled with yummy antioxidants.

Whisk to combine the vinegar, truffle oil and pepper flake. Slice the green onions. Cube the mangos. Remove the beets from the water with a slotted spoon or tongs. Place the leafy beet tops in the boiling water for about 2 minutes. Then pull them out too and let them drain. Give them a rough chop to break them into manageable bites. Toss the greens with about ¼ of the dressing. Put on salad plates. Peel the beets by rubbing the skins off with paper towels. Golden beets don’t stain as badly as red ones. Then cut in cubes about the same size as the mango pieces. Toss the remainder of the dressing with the beets, mangos, and green onions. Spoon beets on top of greens, then top with 1T of crumbled goat cheese. This recipe actually made Mr. Vino LOVE beets. Serves 4 as a salad. Add cooked chicken or shrimp and it serves 2 as a main course.