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08/15/2001 Archived Entry: "Wine Buy: Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio"

“She gets too hungry for dinner at eight. She loves the theater, but never comes late. ... ”

Am I singin about my Weekend co-host Joan Hamburg? No, I’m talking about a fabulous Pinot Grigio, the beautifully structured Tiefenbrunner Pinot Grigio delle Venezie 2000, this week’s Wine Buy.

I was instantly seduced by this elegant wine. It is at once classy and sexy, voluptuous and racy. It lingers on your palate. A cunning flirt. But I probably go too far. It’s only wine.

Carol Berman, Food Talk sommelier suggests that it would be a great accompaniment to insalata Caprese, the salad of tomatoes, mozzarella, and basil with a drizzle of your best condiment quality extra virgin olive oil. It should, however, go well with any grilled fish or other light summer dish. It even has enough body and character to support roast chicken, with which I generally prefer red wine.

Pinot Grigio (which, by the way, is pronounced gri-joe and means gray) from Italy is one of America’s favorite white wines, but most can’t hold a candle to this one. And at about $11.99 a bottle, it is a much, much better value than the vastly overpriced and inexplicably popular Santa Margherita. Cavit is another popular and lower priced Pinot G