United States of Wine

Michigan – Pinot Grigio

Love Cork Screw – Good Times Good Friends – Pinot Grigio – American

Purchased: Total Wine

Price: $16.99

I was aware that Michigan made wines thanks to a previous trip to Traverse City, where I enjoyed a nice glass of cherry wine. But I chose to try this Pinot Grigio from the the Fennville wine area in southwest Michigan.

My first impression of this wine (after I poured it into the cute wine glass my sister gave me years ago) is that it tastes the way an American thinks a Pinot Grigio tastes like, versus what an Italian Pinot Grigio actually tastes like. On the upside, it means this wine belongs on the shelf with other varied-sourced California wines.

The wine is more yellow than some Italian Pinot Grigios I’ve had, but clearer than some of the other American Pinot Grigios I’ve had. It has a strong fragrance that changes as the wine got warmer in the glass that reminded me the new car smell we all know.

When it’s was served at 45 degrees, it felt fresher, lighter, like it bounced off the tongue. But as the wine warmed to 60 degrees (like it does in the average time is takes to slowly sip a glass of wine), the the wine stopped feeling so refreshing, like it was staying on your tongue.

A lemony flavor that was always sensed suddenly explodes as the wine stops being cold. At 60 degrees, I started to wonder if this wine was made of lemons and grapes. It added a sourness that you could feel on the sides of your mouth.

In the end, it wasn’t a bad wine at all, and I could see how it may be no different from many other American Pinot Grigios. But I would recommend drinking it cold in smaller pours, so that it doesn’t have any time to get even the slightest bit warm.

Score: 7/10