In the first decade of the 21st century Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris surpassed Chardonnay as the most popular white grape on the world market. While Pinot Grigio is thought of as a white grape, it is actually a mutation of Pinot Noir with blue-gray to brownish-pink skins (often within a single bunch) which is usually pressed off its skins at the beginning of the winemaking process in order to make a white wine. (Technically, I suppose, one should call these wines “blanc de gris.”) There is also a long tradition in the Friuli region of Italy and in neighboring Slovenia to make ramato style Pinot Grigio where the skins are allowed a few days of contact with the fermenting juice, achieving a copper color (ramato in Italian), such as the Kobal Pinot Grigio that was in the June 2020 case. No matter the style of wine, the Pinot Grigio grape has been in Italy since the early 19th century, and the Delle Venezie DOC, which encompasses many sub-DOCs and covers the entirety of the Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino regions, is now the largest contributor to the world's Pinot Grigio total. While these wines are popular for a reason, they can often be a little neutral, begetting the nickname “Italian water.” When we first tasted this wine our reaction was, “Well, that’s not boring!” And when we found out the winery was family owned, certified organic and practicing regenerative agriculture and carbon negative all for $16 retail, it was an instant yes. The flavors of candied apple and yellow plum, pronounced floral aromas, almond paste with a refreshing bitterness are a great accompaniment to salads, non tomato-based pastas and white meats.