Pinot Grigio becomes a favorite wine import

Pinot Grigio may be just a blip in America's wine boom, but since the 1980s it has blossomed into one of our favorite flavors and a top-selling wine import.

"Grigio" (Gris in French) describes the grape's grayish skin; "Pinot" identifies its vast Pinot family, of which the black-skinned Pinot Noir is the scion.

Santa Margherita, advertised as "the first Pinot Grigio" may be more correctly billed as "America's first Pinot Grigio," the brainchild of wine importer and Chicago-native Anthony J. Terlato. (For a delicious account of Terlato's inspirations, that have influenced how the world drinks and eats, see his memoir "Tast: A Life in Wine," $26, Agate Surrey Publishing)

Pinot Grigio has clung to northern Italy's hills of for centuries, but it took modern winemaking techniques - such as temperature-controlled fermentation - and innovative winemakers - such as Mario Schiopetto - to transform an inoffensive (at best) dullish white into the crystal-clean quaff that refreshes America's palate today.

Italy's northeast Friuli and Alto Adige provinces grow the finest examples, expressing Alpine soil and sunshine with flavors including blanched almonds, licorice and tropical fruits, complexed by crisp minerality and firm acidity, from producers such as Alois Lageder, Livio Felluga & Schiopetto, beginning in the $20s. Serve with rich pasta, seafood, vegetables and light meats.

For easier enjoyment, look for Bollini ($15), Villa Puccini ($14) and Villa Sonia ($9).

France's Alsace region translates Pinot Gris into unctuous wines, with top-shelf producers offering ripe flavors of pears, lemon curd, guava and spice, (beginning in the $20s) to complement the richest meats and poultry. See Ross' choice for a well-made Pinot Gris at an affordable price.

This palate finds many American Pinot Grigio/Gris to be unfocused with flavors of canned fruit salad, one notable exception being Handley Cellars, with ripe pear, green apple and spice flavors ($18.)

• Advanced sommelier and certified wine educator Mary Ross writes Good Wine twice a month. Reach her at food@dailyherald.com.