Costco Kirkland Signature Pinot Grigio Challenge! (Same as Pinot Gris? The perfect summer wine, side-by-side taste test, could the wine snobs be wrong?!?)

Show Notes

Episode 84: Costco Kirkland Signature Pinot Grigio Challenge!  00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair! 

Ok, a quick orientation for those of you who may be new to the podcast - in each episode we learn about, taste and give our honest review of three wines that are reasonably priced - meaning under $20 each -  and should be easy for you to find. And, our podcast is made for people like us - people who love wine, but want to learn more about wine, find new wines to explore, and just feel more confident when we talk about and order wines. So, if that sounds like you, you are in the right place - and, we invite you to taste these wines or a wine from your stash along with us while you listen as a fun way to participate in the podcast! And we are proud to say that we are officially recommended by the editors of Decanter Magazine who call us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining. 

Carmela, today we are back to one of our fan favorite episodes, and that is the Costco Kirkland Signature Brand Wine Challenge! We have done challenges for Cabernet Sauvignon, we have done challenges for Chardonnay, and we have recently done challenges for Chianti - and this week, we are going back to Italy to challenge their Grave Pinot Grigio which sells for the low, low price of $4.99. 

Which is crazy!

And this is the kind of wine challenge you like, Carmela - because after weeks of slogging through red wines, we are back to drinking some white wines. Woo Hoo!

Now, you may ask - what is a Costco Kirkland Signature wine challenge?!? Should we tell them?

Well, in these challenges we taste a Costco Kirkland Signature wine, which are very popular, by the way, and taste it against a few other wines of the same varietal and style to see what we think. Now, we will give the Kirkland Signature wine a rating and review on its own and let you know what we think, but also think that it is extra fun to see how the Kirkland Signature Brand wines do against wines that you can pick up at any old store or wine shop. 

So this will be fun. 

Now, we know some people are not crazy about this white wine called Pinot Grigio, although we love it, and you really love it, and I understand why. Wine snobs think it often too bland and too soft. That it doesn’t have enough flavor or complexity. That it is a one note wine. This is particularly true for those of you who are used to drinking super oaked California or other American Chardonnays and think that wines are supposed to taste like vanilla and caramel and not really fruit, because in comparison, you may find Pinot Grigio is a super subtle and maybe uninteresting wine.

An article from The Globe and Mail, which I have a link to in our show notes, says it perfectly: 
In many ways, pinot grigio is the Nickelback of the world of wine. The massively popular white has long been criticized for bland, formulaic and ruining wine. It’s been written off as the water of wine, yet sales continue to boom across Canada and around the world. Consumers tend to enjoy its simple, refreshing lemony character. And its affordable price.

I might say the same thing that The Guardian said in another article about Pinot Grigio in that it is kind of like the pilsner or lager of wines. I find Pinot Grigio to be crisp, really good cold, crushable, or, as your brother might say, quaffable. Pinot Grigio is a relatively simple wine that is custom made for warm afternoons and dining al fresco in the summer - and if you don’t know what we mean by al fresco, it just means eating outside. 

Also, with fish and seafood, Pinot Grigio is a wonderful combination and a really good pairing. And, all in all, I find it hard not to like.

But, again, there are those of you out there who just find it meh. 

So, we are on a quest today, to both do a taste challenge of the Costco Kirkland Brand Pinot Grigio against other well known and easy to find Pinot Grigios from similar areas of Italy, and to see if we can’t convince you that Pinot Grigio deserves a second chance. Or at least a little more respect. 

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug, right Carmela? First, we want to thank you for listening to us and for supporting our show, and if you have not had the chance to do so yet, now would be the perfect time to subscribe to our podcast  - it is a free way to support us, and then you never have to miss a show!  - and a huge thank you to all of you who have subscribed already! 

And, another great way to support is to leave a nice rating and review on our website or on Apple Podcasts or other podcast service so we can continue to grow our listeners.

You can also follow us and see fun pictures of the wines we are tasting and trying today on Instagram at thewinepairpodcast, you can also follow us on Threads and you can contact us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com with thoughts, ideas, or questions you have, and you can sign up for our mailing list there!

And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should tell about The Wine Pair Podcast. This week, we want you to forward this episode to the white wine lover in your life who thinks that Costco Kirkland wine is the cat's pajamas!

ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://www.theglobeandmail.com/life/food-and-wine/article-whats-wrong-with-pinot-grigio/#:~:text=Wine%20snobs%20love%20to%20hate,Canada%20and%20around%20the%20world.
• https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2011/apr/09/pinot-grigio-wine-review 

Topic: What is the Deal with Pinot Grigio? 08:51

Pinot Grigio is a popular wine. And some of you may be wondering if it is the same wine as a Pinot Gris, and we are here to set you straight. The answer: they are the same grape, although many would say a different wine.

There is a great online article from Wine Spectator that I have a link to in our show notes which you can find if you go to this episode on our website and click on the show notes, and so a lot of this information comes from that article.

Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are two different names for the same white wine grape. And, like a lot of wines, when a grape is grown in a certain area, or terrior as the snobs like to say, the wines can taste pretty different. However, any wine made from the grape should have a citrus bent to it and some really good acidity.

Pinot Gris is the name for the grape in France, and if you find it grown and produced in other parts of the world other than Italy, where it is known as Pinot Grigio, it will probably most often be called Pinot Gris. But they are the same grape. On a side note, the grape is also known as Grauburgunder in Austria and Germany. 

Pinot Grigio tends to be lighter and crisper than most wines made from the same grape, and because of its low price and friendly flavor, it tends to be pretty popular. According to Impact Databank, Pinot Grigio is the second most popular wine in the US behind Chardonnay, and just ahead of Moscato and Sauvignon Blanc. Also, Pinot Grigio from Italy is the most imported wine by volume in the US, and has been for the last 20 years or so. 

The reason the wine is called Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio, with Gris and Grigio meaning gray, is that the wine is thought to be a mutant of Pinot Noir, and the grapes themselves are not green like most white wine grapes, but instead are sort of a grayish-blue color. 

Pinot Grigio is grown in the north eastern areas of Italy, mostly in the Veneto, Friuli, Trentino and Alto Adige areas. Those are very beautiful areas, near Venice and bordering Austria and Slovenia, and it is also grown in Lombardy, where Milan is located, and that area borders Switzerland. So, there’s a little geography lesson for you. It is also the most popular white wine in Italy. So, despite its sometimes maligned reputation, there are a lot of people drinking it!

For comparison, when you drink a Pinot Gris from, say, Alsace France or from American winemakers, you may find the wine to be sort of spicy and bigger bodied. 

The other nice thing about a Pinot Grigio is that you can just pull it off the shelf in your local store and it will be ready to drink! No need to cellar it. 

Finally, Pinot Grigio has been around since at least the Middle Ages, but it is relatively new in the United States, with WikiPedia saying that it only showed up here in the 1960s in Oregon. 

But think that is enough history and background and Pinot Grigio, and I think it’s time to talk about the wines we chose for this episode. Does that work for you, Carmela?

ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://www.winespectator.com/articles/what-is-difference-between-pinot-grigio-and-gris-57223 
• https://vinepair.com/wine-101/learn-pinot-grigio-white-wine/
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_gris

Pinot Grigio Wines We Chose for This Episode 14:43

As usual, all of the wines we have chosen for this episode are under $20, and all of them should be relatively easy to find because I bought them all at either Costco, obviously, or at a local grocery store by our house that has, honestly, a pretty crappy wine section. But, because of that, I know you should be able to find these wines, and at least one of these wines is super popular in the United States. You can also find these wines at wine.com, and at big retailers like BevMo and Total Wine. 

The first wine is, as you would guess, the Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio, and the one we have is the latest one, which is the 2022. I could not find ratings for this vintage online. It seems that all of the reviews stop at the 2021 vintage, which got pretty good reviews. 

As it says on the bottle, the wine is from the Friuli Venezia Giulia of Italy, which is just to the east of Venice. Specifically, the wine is called Grave because it is from the Friuli Grave area, and it is a specific DOC where a lot of white wine is grown. 

Like most Kirkland Signature wines, it is difficult to tell who actually makes the wine for them. We know that the wine is imported by Misa Imports, and they do have several brands they import from the Veneto region. Only one of those brands makes a Pinot Grigio, from what I can tell, called San Michele, but their wine does not say it is specifically from the Friuli Grave area, so I am not sure if it is made by that brand or not. 

All that being said, because this is the 2022, for all I know, we are going to be the first ones to review this wine!

The second wine we are going to try is one I know you can find all over the place. It is called Kris Pinot Grigio, and this has been a standby of ours for as long as I can remember. It is an inexpensive and very drinkable wine, and we have the 2021 vintage.

This wine is also from the Friuli Venezia Giulia of Italy, but I did not see that it was specifically from the Grave area. 

I got some additional information from the online site WinePros.com, and they give the following information about the wine: the grapes are picked in the fall, usually late October, where they are destemmed and gently cracked open and then pressed. They do say that sugar and yeast are added to the grape juice, although I am not totally sure that sugar is actually added, but oh well, and the wine is stored in steel tanks. 

I would expect that all of these wines are fermented and stored in stainless steel, and that they are not touched by oak at all. That is part of what makes them so light and crisp. 

The last wine we are drinking today is from a different part of Italy. It is called the Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio and it comes from the Trentino-Alto Adige region, which is the northernmost region of Italy, bumping up against Austria. Like our last wine, this is also from the 2021 vintage. 

The winery calls this their flagship wine, and the claim that it is made with minimal human intervention and that the grapes are hand picked. The wine is from the Valdadige DOC, which is in the northern Alps, and the grapes are grown at between 150-300 meters above sea level.

The Valdadige DOC is pretty massive, and it is name after the Adige river. Apparently, they have been making wine in this area for a very long time, perhaps as far back as the 7th century BC - and archaeologists have found pots in the area that date back that far. 

I think it will be interesting to try a Pinot Grigio from a different area of Italy to see how different it is, and to see what we think about it.

So, we have three different Pinot Grigio’s from three different wineries all from the northern area of Italy, and we are going to see both how they stack up, and how the Costco Kirkland brand compares. 

But, I think that is enough information - let’s get to drinking! We’ll take a quick break and be right back. And, if you have these wines or similar wines, drink along with us!


ARTICLES and LINKS

• https://buywinesonline.com/products/kris-pinot-grigio-wine-2021-750-ml 
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Friuli_Grave_DOC
• https://www.misaimports.com/veneto 
• https://www.honestwinereviews.com/kris-pinot-grigio-review
• https://www.winepros.org/kris-pinot-grigio/ 
• https://www.baronefiniwines.com/our-wines/
• https://italianwine.guide/regions-en-gb/trentino-alto-adige-en-gb/valdadige-doc-etschtaler/

Pinot Grigio Wine Pairing Tasting and Reviews 23:15

Wine: Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio
Region: Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia
Year: 2022
Price: $4.99
Retailer: Costco
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grapes: Pinot Grigio

What we tasted and smelled in this Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio:

• On the nose: Lemon, peach, rock, stone fruit, apricot, lemon, baking spice, citrus, sweetness, thick
• In the mouth: Lemony, apricot, peach, honeydew melon, honey, stone, very easy drinking, a summer wine

Food to pair with this Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio: Seafood, popcorn, salty foods, delicate white fish with lemon butter, fried fish, cream sauce, spaghetti and clams, shellfish, spicy Asian foods
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and a 5 or 6 means we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it. 

Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 8/10
• Carmela: 9/10

Wine: Kris Pinot Grigio (Learn more about this wine on wine.com. Affiliate link)
Region: Italy, Friuli Venezia Giulia
Year: 2021
Price: $12.99
Retailer: QFC
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grapes: Pinot Grigio

What we tasted and smelled in this Kris Pinot Grigio:

• On the nose: Pear, sweetness, honey, peach, Apple Jolly Rancher, not as much citrus, Asian pear
• In the mouth: Apple, pear, apple crisp, apple pie, not as dry or clean or crisp, stone, bitter at the end, might be more for people like a bigger white wine, more of a winter white wine vs. a summer white wine

Food to pair with this Kris Pinot Grigio: A little heavier food, creamy pasta sauces, ravioli, cheese ravioli, peas and prosciutto, white pizza, pumpkin ravioli, pesto, charcuterie, bruschetta, fried foods

Kris Pinot Grigio Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 7/10
• Carmela: 7/10

Wine: Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio (Learn more about this wine on wine.com. Affiliate link)
Region:  Italy, Trentino-Alto Adige
Year: 2021
Price: $9.99
Retailer: QFC
Alcohol: 12.5%
Grapes: Pinot Grigio

What we tasted and smelled in this Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio:

• On the nose: Fresh air, floral, a field of flowers, pear, peach, melon, honey, lime, vanilla
• In the mouth: Lemony, very citrus, crisp, lemonade, strawberry lemonade, creamy, watermelon lemonade, peach lemonade, summer wine, lemon zest, lemon pulp

Food to pair with this Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio:  Fish, chicken salad, chicken Caesar salad with anchovies, fried fish, fish and chips, fried oysters

Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio Wine Rating: 

• Joe: 8/10
• Carmela: 7/10

Which one of these Pinot Grigios are you finishing tonight?

• Carmela: Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio
• Joe: Costco Kirkland Signature Grave Pinot Grigio

Taste profiles expected from Pinot Grigio   39:45

• General 
  • Wine Folly (Pinot Gris): White peach, lemon zest, cantaloupe, raw almond, crushed gravel
  • Spruce Eats: Aromas of lemon-lime, pear, and stone fruit like peach and apricot. You may also notice scents of almond, baking spices, or honeysuckle. Flavors can range from melon to green apple, and some even offer a subtle tropical or citrus fruit
• Costco Kirkland Pinot Grigio
  • From the bottle: displays a fragrant bouquet of crisp apple with a hint of white flowers. Bright acidity is followed by a clean, refreshing finish
  • Most tastings are from the 2021
• Kris Pinot Grigio
  • Winery: Pale yellow in color with brilliant greenish reflections, enticing aromas of acacia flowers, citrus, tangerine, and hints of apricots and almonds. Kris Pinot Grigio is lean and refreshing on the palate with hints of blossom and honey.
• Barone Fini Valdadige Pinot Grigio
  • Winery: The Pinot Grigio showcases aromas of floral and lemon mist with ripe juicy flavors of honeydew and apple filling the mouth. Bright acidity balanced with warm minerality create a lingering crisp finish
  • Handywineguide.com: The initial notes are of white fruits such as pear and green apple, followed by hints of citrus and white flowers. There are also subtle aromas of honey and almonds that add complexity to the wine. On the palate, it is light-bodied and crisp, with a vibrant acidity and a refreshing finish. The flavors are consistent with the nose, with prominent notes of pear and citrus, and a subtle hint of minerality. The wine is well-balanced and easy-drinking, making it a great option for casual occasions or as an aperitif.

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 42:04

Ok, so, Carmela, it is just about time for us to go, but before we do, we want to thank you very much for listening to us - and if you haven’t done so yet, now would be the perfect time to subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or other podcast service - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

We would also love to hear from you about a wine you would like us to taste and review. You can, leave a message for us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com, or you can just email us at joe@thewinepairpodcast.com and tell us about a wine you are curious about, or curious what we think of it. And, follow us on Instagram and Threads so you can see pictures of all of these wines we are tasting and reviewing. 

And, next time you listen to an episode, drink along with us and see if you are tasting and experiencing the same things we are - it’s like a date night! And if you do that, we’d love to hear what you think!

Alright, with that, we are going to sign off, so thanks again, and we will see you next time. And, as we say, life is short, so stop drinking shitty wine.