This week while shopping for our wine, we decided to go for cash instead of class. Completely avoiding the limited reserve section, we instead went straight for the cheapest Pinot Grigio we could find. And what a Pinot it was.
Our selection, a 2013 California Pinot Grigio, immediately caught our eye. Being the cheapest thing on the shelf, it wasn’t surprising that the label looked like something you could have printed off Kid Pix in your free time if you still had your Mac from the early 90’s on hand. It helpfully notes that the wine would pair well with bruschetta, spaghetti carbonara, or eggplant parmesan.
Also, it had a screw top. Given our past experience with corks, it was like manna from heaven when we didn’t have to whip out our roommate’s rabbit bottle opener.
The first thing that struck us was the nose. It was light, fruity and altogether pleasing, with delicious notes of peach and pear. In Brandon’s view it was the best feature of the wine. While Brandon could waft this all day, Bryce was much more keen to drink it.
The taste itself really hit the palate as bright, crisp, and slightly effervescent. We noted that it had a nice balance between dryness and sweetness and could serve well as “champagne” for people who aren’t willing to commit to the full bubbly. It also had a good mouthfeel—overall silky and a little weighty.
Pinot Grigio itself is actually an Italian clone of the Pinot Gris grape, which originated in Burgundy, France. The Pinot Grigio variety of the grape is typically harvested early in order to maintain some of the bright acidity so the wine isn’t too overpowered by fruity notes. It is worthwhile to note that our wine is actually from California, but the variation in meaning is only slight. Pinot Gris from the Golden State is regularly called Pinot Grigio due to similarities to the Italian variety of grape.
Tart would be a word to describe this wine. Bryce enjoyed the acidity overall and thought it added a refreshing crispness. Any less and the sweetness may have been cloying. On the other hand, Brandon felt that it was a little too acidic and the grapes could have done a bit less the next time.
Flipflop is a good housewife wine. If you got hit hard by the recession, this is the wine for you. It’s cheap, but still good enough to fill up your to-go mug several times over before dropping the kids off at soccer practice.
Also important to note is that this bottle is a Wine Enthusiast magazine Best Buy of 2011. Since our vintage is a 2013, we were a little skeptical, but nonetheless we thought we should look up the official review. Ranking it at a respectable 87/100 the “expert reviewer” noted many of the same characteristics that we found. We are not official sommeliers, but we enjoyed it too so everyone should just refer to us for our opinion on everything now.
Overall, Flipflop Pinot Grigio is not too sweet, not too dry, and very “fresh” in taste, but the acidity may off put some drinkers who are more partial to red.
When it comes down to it, however, this wine is a great deal for the price.
Additional Notes
Brandon: “I’d rather sniff this wine all day than drink it. It’s like inhaling a pear.”
Bryce: “Fruity. A wine you could get away with drinking before five.”
Nose: 4.5/5
Body: 3/5
Mouthfeel: 3/5
Taste: 3/5
Get your hands, or feet, on some flipflop Pinot Grigio at Hannafords: $6