Sonoma Vendange Winery Pinot Grigio 500ml

Winery: Sonoma Vendange Winery

Varietal: Pinot Gris

The grayish blue fruits of the Pinot Grigio grape varietal are used in the production of a very wide, and seemingly ever widening, range of quality white wines. These grapes pick up much of the features of their terroir, and as such, it isn't unusual to find find Pinot Grigio wines which have something of an alpine character, or hold slightly ashen, smoky flavors soaked up from various soils. They have a naturally high sugar content, which, depending on how they are handled and processed either leads to them producing semi-sweet wines, or drier, more fermented wines, or even wines with a relatively high alcohol content. These grapes prefer cooler climates, and as such are grown in several countries around the world which have strong oceanic breezes or shady valley regions.

Region: California

California as a wine producing region has grown in size and importance considerably over the past couple of centuries, and today is the proud producer of more than ninety percent of the United States' wines. Indeed, if California was a country, it would be the fourth largest producer of wine in the world, with a vast range of vineyards covering almost half a million acres. The secret to California's success as a wine region has a lot to do with the high quality of its soils, and the fact that it has an extensive Pacific coastline which perfectly tempers the blazing sunshine it experiences all year round. The winds coming off the ocean cool the vines, and the natural valleys and mountainsides which make up most of the state's wine regions make for ideal areas in which to cultivate a variety of high quality grapes.

Country: United States

Whilst there are several strains of native grape varietals in the United States, it was the introduction of the European species which prompted the country to begin producing wines on a large scale. Over the past few centuries, experimentation and cross-breeding has produced great successes in regards to the quality and suitability of the fruit grown in states such as California, Oregon, Washington and New York, and the past few decades have seen New World wines from the United States reach much higher standards. Arguably the finest United States wines have always come out of California, where the climate and terrroir is most suitable for fine wine production. The masterful blending of classic grape varietals such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot, amongst others including Syrah and Chardonnay, have had world beating results in recent years, prompting many to suggest that there has never been a better time for buying and drinking United States wines.