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September 6, 2020

Pair Pinot Grigio with Cauliflower (America's Nouveau Sweethearts)

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Try the workhorse Italian white wine with the jack of all trades vegetable. They pair with lots of things but most importantly each other.

2 Italian pinot grigio bottles with 3 cauliflower dishes
Pinot grigio and cauliflower have whisked themselves into the tableware of many American homes. They also make an apt food and wine pairing when consumed together.

Disclosure: The pinot grigio wines pictured in this post were provided by Delle Venezie DOC as media samples. All opinions are my own.

A meteoric rise into the American diet

Both pinot grigio and cauliflower have had a meteoric rise in popularity into the American diet.

Cauliflower was considered by some to be a bland, white vegetable, with obligatory inclusion into the frozen mixed vegetable bag along with green beans, carrots, and peas. But with the rise of keto/low carb diets, it has become a savior from the veritable evils of flour, rice, and gluten.

The New York Times wrote of the "ascension of cauliflower" and Time magazine called it the new "it" vegetable ranking as the #4 frozen vegetable at Whole Foods and Trader Joe's having to impose two bag per person limitations.

Likewise, pinot grigio is now the second most consumed white wine in the US after Chardonnay.

Known to some as a refrigerator white wines, pinot grigio is aged in stainless steel tanks rather than oak barrels resulting in a very clean, refreshing, and acidic white wines.

These two Italian pinot grigio brands, Tommasi and Propechy, have the Delle Venezie DOC label, approved by the EU in 2020.

7 Fast Facts about Pinot Grigio

  1. Pinot grigio is the result of a mutation between pinot nero and pinot bianco grapes
  2. The grapes have pinkish berries which is why it is called pinot grigio or the color grey
  3. 59% of the world's pinot grigio wine comes from Italy, 15% from the US, 10% from Germany, 5% from France, and 4% from Moldova
  4. 96% of Italy's pinot grigio is exported, mostly to the US, Canada, and Great Britain.
  5. It tastes of citrus, green apples, stonefruit, white peaches, pears, white flowers, ginger, almond and walnuts.
  6. It is meant to be drunk fresh and not typically aged.
  7. Classic food pairings are sushi, white meat, or as an aperitivo with cheese.
pinot grigio grape bunch
Pinot grigio is named for its pinkish/grey berries. The grapes are also known as pinot gris in France.

Enter regulation with the DOC label

While much of Italy's production of pinot grigio hails from the northeastern part of the country, the European Union ratified the Delle Venezie DOC in 2020.

The region already had the market but wanted a way to distinguish their wine from cheaper versions that do not undergo as much quality control.

It is the first interregional DOC encompassing the regions of Fruili, Veneto, and Trentino.

Pinot grigio from warmer regions tend to lack acidity, complexity, and can taste "flabby."

The DOC label is one way to ensure you are getting a pinot grigio with good acidity that will pair well food.

Italian wine map with Delle Venezie DOC region circled in black
The Delle Venezie DOC encompasses the Italian wine regions of Veneto, Friuli, and Trentino.

Pair with any kind of cauliflower dish

Any way you cook cauliflower, it will probably pair it with Pinot Grigio and satisfy the vegetarian, non fish eating dinner guest.

Cauliflower is like a white canvas for creative cooks to paint on the flavors of their choosing.

2 bottles of pinot grigio wine paired with cauliflower dishes
It is unlikely you will have three cauliflower dishes at your table, rest assured any one of them will pair nicely with pinot grigio.

1. Pair with briney, salty flavors

cauliflower teak with olive salsa and parsley
An air fried cauliflower steak with kalamata olive salsa matches the acidity and weight of pinot grigio.

2. Pair with a creamy preparation

cauliflower gratin with panko crumbs
A cauliflower gratin with cream sauce and toasted panko crumbs presents a contrast for the pinot grigio's acidity to cut through and refresh the palate.

3. Pair with earthy, spicy flavors

kungpao cauliflower on a blue rectangular plate
The earthy, funky, spicy flavors in kung pao cauliflower highlighted the fresh stonefruit and ripe peach flavors in the pinot grigio.

Final takeaway

A DOC label doesn't mean expensive!

Recently at Grocery Outlet, I came upon a display of white wines priced from $3-$6.

While one might roll their eyes and wonder how good the wines could actually be, a couple of them were pinot grigios that had the trusty blue DOC label.

You will have to judge the taste, but at least you know that it went multiple tasting panels and testing as the DOC requires.

DOC label on the wine bottle
The Italian DOC label is an indicator of quality above IGT and below DOCG. It can be a helpful qualifier when faced with a shelf full of wines you've never tried before.

More Italian Food and Wine Pairings

Ricasoli Chianti Paired with Tomatoes 3 Ways

5 Iconic Abruzzo Wines from Torre Zambra

Italy’s First Certified Vegan Winery #italianfwt

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lynn says

    September 08, 2020 at 2:04 am

    Kung Pao Cauliflower... oh yeah! Truly amazing you can get Italian wines for that price in the US.

    Reply
    • asiantestkitchen@gmail.com says

      September 20, 2020 at 3:27 pm

      Thanks Lynn! What is also interesting is that the wines are even cheaper in Italy. 🙂

      Reply

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