Delving into the Grapes of Fray, et. Le Vin Frais!

All this past month I craved anissete, or Ouzo. I love mixology especially with sharp citrus; but are even grapes citrus?

No- they're not. They are in fact amber in color; deep muddled acidities, and of course; exotic fixtures. I tasted a Pinot Gris at Warwick winery (Hudson Valley) but all along a few more tastings I hummed over icons like 'Weissburgunder'  and 'Muscadet.'

Whenever Frenchies hurry into a store they clamour 'eh you have fresh wine' - le vin frais, or wine that is simply cold. In fact, in other experiences I've gathered that Vin Frais or 'fresh wine' is literally wine made about either locally or just served out of a tank. Fresh wines - rather than 'natural wine' - are fermented ad-hoc and are enjoyed almost flowingly.  This wine tingled with puckery kiwi acidity. The tingled lends itself to active culture and hence low-sulfite.

A couple weeks later I encountered a wine tasting from the Alto Adige which in reality is prime Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio territory. Often times they use a grape called Weissburgunder - which is known as Pinot Blanc, but it can teater on Chardonnay.

 Chardonnay can be tender, but this was a spumante that resembled a thin, uppercut of Pinot Grigio. Was refereshing but the border of Italy/Austria is not a hotbed for 'sparkling culture.'

Finally, I met with SolStars this week as an emerging rep. We tasted the following:

Quite the 'umph' and elegance aptly served out of a tight, tweaked, and amaryllis bottle. The 2016 'Vins D'Aslace' Pinot Blanc was leveling on austere. Very little succulence and drama, in fact; flint, limestone, and stiff acidity were hallmarks of this French Pinot Blanc.

With a little maturity, often times the same grape - be it Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Blanc -- the volatility of the juice can hone in the characteristics of the culture that cultivates the vine.