Masianco can please pinot grigio lovers and haters

Two Thumbs Up

Aromas of lemon, lime, fresh apricots and wild honey. Flavors follow the aromas with notes of blood orange, grilled pineapple, toasted almond and spicy ginger root.

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Masi Agricola makes gorgeous, silky, full-bodied Amarones in Italy’s Veneto region. Not familiar with Amarone della Valpolicella? Think of the biggest California cabernet you’ve ever had, put it on a steroid program and give it an Italian accent. Presto. You have an Amarone.

I’ve had a 1998 Masi Amarone in my humble wine closet seemingly forever. (Most have the capacity to age quite a while.) I think it’s time to set it free, but not for at least another five months. You gotta be nuts to drink such a heavyweight in the thick of the summer.

What I will be having (and have enjoyed over the past couple weeks) is another in a long line of my signature monumental discoveries. With my characteristic humility I give you: Masianco.

Masianco is made by the same folks that give us dark, brooding Amarones mentioned above. Masi makes both wines, but the Masianco could not be more opposed to Amarone. It is a pinot grigio.

WAIT! Before you turn the page, it is not one of “those” pinot grigios. You know the kind, the wine world’s version of a light beer.

The Masianco is crisp and refreshing, as any pinot grigio should be, but at the same time it has a richness, depth and character that reminds you that you are drinking something more than a glass of alcoholic lemonade.

The Masianco has one thing in common with its powerful red brother. To achieve its muscle, grape bunches for Amarones are picked, then dried on mats before they are pressed and turned into wine. During the drying process, called appassimento, grapes lose moisture, but gain more concentrated flavors (and alcohol content).

Masi does the same thing with vurduzzo grapes, which are indigenous to northeastern Italy and make up 25 percent of the Masianco’s blend. The grapes are dried slightly, not nearly as long as an Amarone, before being pressed. We get all the bright citrus notes from the fresh pinot grigio grapes, while the verduzzo lends a subtle flavor foundation of grilled pineapples and fresh apricots.

Over the Fourth of July holiday celebration, I poured samples of the Masianco for two types of wine drinkers: lovers of pinot grigio wines, but only pinot grigio wines, and those who can't stand pinot grigios, any kind of pinot grigio wines. Both had similar responses.

Pinot grigio lovers swore they never had better and could tell there was a little something extra in their glass even if they couldn’t quite put their finger on what it was. Pinot grigio haters informed me that the Masianco “didn’t taste like a pinot grigio” and, of course, they were referring to “those” kind of watery, insipid pinot grigios that usually have cute, furry animals on the label.

And once again, proven with my signature incontrovertible truthiness, I demonstrate that it’s not a good idea to put wine in a box, figuratively speaking. You have to be open to try a wine before you pull out the blanket statements, like “I don’t drink anything but pinot grigio” or “I hate all pinot grigios.” It’s better to be wrong and pleasantly surprised.