De Bortoli Yarra Valley Gulf Station Pinot Grigio 2009

Bloody hell!! When is this weather gunna change?

I really do not like hot weather. I don't like hot weather in December, and I certainly don't like the hot weather that comes with January and February, but hot weather in April - c'mon!

So with all this hot weather - the in car temp reader said it was 34 at 3.30pm in down town Coburgaria - it was time for a clean summer wine, the De Bortoli Yarra Valley Gulf Station Pinot Grigio 2009. Simple, fresh and swimming with clean acid and subtle white pear, this wine is literally gone in 30 minutes because it is just so easy to drink.


Drink now
Drink with the thought that winter is almost upon us
88
Screwcap 12%v/v $12 from most good wine shops

The Killer Veneto IGT Pinot Grigio 2007

She's a Killer Queen
Gunpowder, gelatine
Dynamite with a laser beam
Guaranteed to blow your mind
Anytime

Recommended at the price
Insatiable an appetite
Wanna try?
Killer Queen - Queen

Absolutely!

I think I have said this before, but this summer Pinot Grigio is the wine to have in your fridge. The Killer Veneto IGT Pinot Grigio 2007 is light and floral and fruity and just so easy to drink, and as labels go, very easy on the eye!

Drink with grilled trevaly
Drink now
89
Screwcap 12.5%v/v $16 at Blackhearts and Sparrows

T’Gallant Mornington Peninsula ‘Juliet’ Pinot Grigio 2008

Looking out at the Brunswick skyline this morning, all I can see is an endless grey horizon with rain, rain and more rain. It is fair to say that today’s events are going to be in closed quarters, which is not pleasing a certain big four year old called Imogen I tell ya! It is rainy days like this in December that I turn my thoughts to those hot nights of October and November and remember the gorgeous and bright white wines that were going to be the toast of the 2009 summer – still a sceptic on climate change Abbott and Minchin?

Anyhoo, I was rambling on about crisp summer wines for this season before rambling on about dinosaur politicians, with one of those being the fantastic T’Gallant Mornington Peninsula ‘Juliet’ Pinot Grigio 2008. This is a wine that has probably been surpassed by the 2009 vintage by now, but a wine that should not be overlooked never the less. Bone straw in the glass with a positively water like hue to it. A faint nose of wax is evident up front with a very appealing palate of crisp acid and soft tropical fruit such as passionfruit and melon.

Side note to parents; could you imagine the school holidays being drowned out by six weeks of rain!

Great summer wine with a real easy drinkability about it.

Drink with asparagus and egg salad
Drink now
88
Screwcap 12%v/v $12 Psarakos Markets, Thornbury

Yalumba Y Series South Australian Pinot Grigio 2008

I don’t k now why, but when I first had this wine I instantly thought of this song:

“Hey you, stare at the sun,
You’re not gunna see anyone
Lost my nerve I didn’t know what to say
The weakness may have gone away...

I might sit on a beach
Where the waves are out of reach
Watch the ocean as it rolls on the wave
My weakness may have gone away.”

Losin’ it – Underground Lovers

With the Celsius more than likely hovering around the low 30’s here in Melbourne today, the idea of twisting a few screwcaps around the BBQ and picnic rug is spot on. One such wine, the Yalumba 'Y Series' South Australian Pinot Grigio 2008, will I think lose many lids today.

There is nothing pretentious or humdrum about this wine. The colour is bone straw with an almost sparkle to it. The nose instantly has a freshness of white pear and the prelude of piercing acid.... and it was with more freshness coming in the way of clean acid and more white pear with a touch of Granny Smith apple to boot.

This is a short wine with not much complexity, but when you are sitting around with friends deciding when to pull out the back yard cricket set, this wine is the perfect companion.

Drink now
Drink with picnic basket contents
89
Screwcap 12.5%v/v $10ish at most Dan Murphy stores