de Bortoli, La Boheme Act Three Pinot Gris & Friends, Australia
Act three of Puccini's great Opera contains a famous sung quartet, and that's the winemaker's inspiration for this wine (or at least it's name), as the diva Pinot Gris is joined by three other voices in the shape of the very aromatic and perfumed varieties, Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Pinot Blanc. This is a clever wine in many ways, taking the popular Pinot Gris/Grigio and giving it quite a serious treatment with partial oak ageing, and stirring on the lees (the yeast that is left in a wine just after fermentation) to add a little gravitas, but then blending it with small proportions of those aromatic varieties to lift the bouquet and add lovely sweet, fresh fruitiness too. Bright, shimmering, off-dry and delicious, it's a very successful wine from Victoria in Australia. Watch the video for my full review of this wine and for food-matching suggestions. At £13.96 it is not in any major supermarkets, but it is carried by a good range of independent wine merchants in stores and online see all stockists on wine-searcher.
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