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WINE:  Alois Lageder Pinot Grigio Vigneti delle Dolomiti 2008

FOOD: Swordfish Stuffed Pasta Shells with Fresh Tomato & Herb Sauce

This pale yellow Pinot Grigio from the Trentino-Alto Adige region features aromas of orange zest, honey, and sweet spices. Rich flavors of sweet oranges and peaches give the wine fairly round mouthfeel initially, making this wine seem richer than many other Italian Pinot Grigios. The wine's fuller than expected body holds up to the swordfish and the pungency of the fresh herbs in Greg's stuffed pasta shells. This is still a nicely crisp wine, however, with plenty of acidity on the finish to accentuate the freshness of the dish's tomatoes.

Most Pinot Grigios are simple, crisp, clean and dry, made to enjoy alongside food, without giving it much thought. While these wines are not the favorites of the wine critics, they usually don't overtly "offend" the critics either. Non-Italian Pinot Grigios, especially from California and Australia, typically don't escape the critic's ire, however. There are exceptions, of course, but many "new world" Pinot Grigios, in my opinion, lack that essential backbone of acidity, often leaving the wine feeling flabby, sugary and diluted.

GRANT HENRY