When I saw Pinot Grigio as one of the wines that was to be served at the Casillero del Diablo dinner recently at Quo Vadis it was not exactly what I expected, but I was curious to see what a Chilean Pinot Grigio tasted like.

The Casillero del Diablo 2010 Pinot Grigio is from the Limari Valley and winemaker Marcelo Papa was on hand to walk us through it. He recognizes that Pinot Grigio is often criticized as a watery, lemony drink  but Marcelo believes that if it is planted in the right place, it will do very well. The Limari  Valley gets plenty of sunshine but is also situated next to the ocean where it receives plenty of mild sea breezes which cool the grapes down after those long hot Chilean summer days.

The wine was matched with a twice-baked goats cheese salad and the tropical notes of the wine went quite well with the cheese. Medium-bodied with a lovely mouthfeel and well balanced; I was surprised that this was a Pinot Grigio. There were slight hints of minerals on the nose and palate: a very pleasing wine to start the evening.

Casillero del Diablo has produced a very good example of what Pinot Grigio should be all about and it is available here in the UK for around £6; excellent value and I wouldn’t hesitate to buy it if I saw it in the supermarket.

The Pinot Grigio is available in all the major supermarkets.