A cold glass of pinot grigio frizzante is the perfect vino for a warm summer evening. Light and crisp, with punchy acidity and notes of green apple, stone fruit, and honeysuckle, this delicately fizzy wine is practically the definition of refreshing. So go ahead, pour yourself a glass of these casual bubbles and get drinking.
Pinot Grigio Frizzante Flavor Profile
Pinot grigio is a white wine made from the pinot grigio (a.k.a. pinot gris) grape. This cool-climate grape is known for it's crisp character, fruity and floral notes, and good acidity. It's light in body with citrus notes paired with green apple, pear, almond, white peach, honeysuckle, and lemon blossom. As for the frizzante part, these flavors are buoyed by light, spritz-like bubbles. The combination of flavors, aroma, acid and effervescence make pinot grigio frizzante an easy to drink and fun loving wine. Pinot grigio frizzante made in the Col Fondo style takes on much more complexity with its cloudy, hazy appearance and almost cider-like sour notes. The textured bubbles really add body to the wine and it leans more funky and austere. Perhaps an acquired taste, this drier version is very much alive and journey to get to know.
Serving Notes
Like all sparkling wines, pinot grigio frizzante is best chilled. At around 45-49°F (7-9°C) the bubbles are at their best and the grapes flavors and aromas pop. Throw the bottle in the fridge a few hours prior to drinking, then allow it to sit at room temperature for about 10 minutes before pouring. Any glass here will do, but keep in mind the narrower the opening, the longer it will retain its fizz.
Drink Your Bubbles With...
Bubbles go with everything and the fruity and floral flavors of pinot grigio pair well with many foods. They are an incredible match for lighter fare. Think roast chicken with preserved lemon or grilled white fish with herby sauce. If you're drinking a Col Fondo pinot grigio, try pairing it with mac and cheese, oysters, or an antipasti of salty cured meats and young cheeses. Of course, you can always drink a frizzante sans food too.
How Frizzante Wines Are Made
These lightly effervescent bubbles are much more tame than the full blown bubbles in prosecco or Champagne. Think of frizzante wines as semi-sparkling. They are light and spritzy, tickling your tongue and leaving your palate clean, energized, and ready for more. There are a couple ways a wine can become frizzante. Many go through a secondary fermentation in a large pressurized tank to get their fizz. This is known as the charmat method and it is how prosecco is made. However, in the case of frizzante wines, the second fermentation is halted mid-way, leaving some residual sugar behind for a slightly sweet wine with fewer bubbles.
Alternatively, frizzante wines can be created through a re-fermentation process or rifermentato in bottiglia. In this style, the secondary fermentation is completed in the bottle. The yeasts consume the sugars, producing CO2 which is trapped underneath a crown cap. Once complete, the wine is completely dry with a delicate fizz. The dead yeasts, or lees, remain in the bottle, often settling at the bottom. Another name for these wine is Col Fondo, which translates to "with the bottom". Col Fondo wines are inherently natural-ish wines, as they are unfined and unfiltered.
Fizz Out
The light, playful, and refreshing nature of pinot grigo frizzante makes it a joy to drink. Get a bottle chilling for a warm, lazy afternoon and enjoy those subtle bubbles.
