Unterebner – more than your typical Pinot Grigio
It is not unusual to find Pinot Grigio in North East Italy. It is perhaps the variety that commands the most vineyard space in this part of Italy and is the most widely exported.
It often is grown in the flatter plains in the Veneto. But here in Alto Adige it takes on additional depth and freshness from the Alpine air and the soils that surround the Dolomite Mountains.
This Pinot Grigio, named Unterebner, comes from Cantina Tramin, located on the west side of the Adige River, about halfway between Trento and Bolzano.
Unterebner Pinot Grigio 2023
This wine was launched as part of Cantina Tramin’s “Select” Line in 1989. Pinot Grigio is the workhorse of Northeast Italy. It can often be one note and flat, but the small vineyards in the Dolomite Mountains where these Pinot Grigio vines grow and the winemaking techniques used to make this wine elevate this humble grape into something exceptional.
This wine from the Alto Adige DOC is grown at between 400 & 600 meters in gravel and loam on vines that are between 10 and 30 years old. Sunny days and cool nights give this wine a freshness.
The grapes are hand harvested and come to the winery in small bins to avoid crushing in travel. At the winery they are gently pressed then the wine ferments slowly in a combination of word casks and tonneaux. The wine also goes through malolactic fermentation which adds to the texture. It matures on the lees until the end of August, when it is bottled. It then rests for another 3 months before release.
My notes:
Medium lemon in the glass, the wine has a medium intesity with notes of crushed rock, green apple, lemon pledge and lemon. The nose builds in complexity with additional notes of graphite, lemon, vanilla and toasted bread. In your mouth you will find notes of apple and lemon.
I found the texture a little slippery in a not unpleasant way. The lemon and green apple are persistent on the palate. The finish is long and lingers nicely.
Creamy Pasta with Scallops
&
Mussels in coconut Milk with Corn Relish
We determined to pair this wine with a creamy pasta dish of scallops and mussels cooked in coconut milk, served with corn relish.
The mussels are an easy 3-ingredient dish, from Trader Joe’s. Grab a pack of frozen mussels in white wine sauce, a can of coconut milk, and a jar of corn relish. Dump the mussels in a pan, let them warm up just a tad, then pour in the coconut milk. Let this cook until the mussels open (discard any that don’t). Place this in a bowl and spoon a little of the corn relish into each mussel.
Delicious!
For the creamy pasta with scallops, heat a pan over medium heat with olive oil. Add the scallops and allow them to get golden on one side (my scallops were medium to small sea scallops, slightly bigger than your typical bay scallop). Add 2 tbsp of unsalted butter and flip the scallops. When the scallops are nearly cooked, add grated garlic and stir for about a minute. Then add ¾ cup of cream and stir. Allow this to cook down for 5 minutes. Remove from the heat, stir in lemon zest and lemon juice. Add the cooked pasta (I just used thin spaghetti), chopped fresh parsley, and grated Grana Padano (if you are Italian, please do not yell at me for adding this cheese to an inappropriate dish for the region). Mix this well and serve garnished with more grated cheese and parsley.
You might want an appetizer, and I will suggest crackers with chevre and perhaps sliced pear!
More on Cantina Tramin and Alto Adige
Robin Renken is a wine writer and Certified Specialist of Wine and WSET 3 Certified. She and her husband Michael travel to wine regions interviewing vineyard owners and winemakers and learning the stories behind the glass.
When not traveling they indulge in cooking and pairing wines with food at home in Las Vegas.
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