The Wine Pair Podcast

Italian Wine Adventure #19: Grignolino!

• The Wine Pair • Season 1 • Episode 184

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When you think of red wine from Piedmont, you likely think of Nebbiolo or Barbera, but did you know that for a long time, Grignolino was the preferred red wine from the region? Wait, you’ve never heard of Grignolino before?!? Well, that is the perfect reason to go on this Italian Wine Adventure! A light red wine from maybe the most revered wine region in Italy, Grignolino is a wine some are saying is the hidden gem of Piedmont. The name of the wine comes from the fact that it has more seeds than most wine grapes, which doesn’t sound important but actually is when you consider that tannins and some flavors come from the seeds themselves. It is a great red wine to chill, and the combination of crunchy red fruit and grippy tannins is an experience to help you stretch your wine horizons. We also talk to listener Justin about his name for our wine tribe and we talk about wine in French prisons in our Wine in the News This Week section. Wines reviewed in this episode: 2021 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti, 2022 Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti

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Show Notes

Episode #184: Italian Wine Adventure #19: Grignolino!  00:00

Hello Cork Dork Cru! 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!

If you are new to our podcast, here is what you can expect. If you love wine and want to find great wines at affordable prices, and you want to expand your wine horizons, and you want to have some laughs and fun while doing it - then you are in the right place! Each week we explore a different wine varietal, style, brand, or region of the winemaking world, and learn about what makes them worth knowing about. And then we taste 2-3 of those wines that are reasonably priced to let you know if they are worth your hard earned money. If that feels like your vibe, then we are super happy you are here. And, we are proud to say that Decanter Magazine calls us fun, irreverent, chatty, and entertaining.

Alright, Carmela, before we get to this Italian wine we have to try, we need to learn more about the story behind our tribe name for this week from Justin - Cork Dork Cru - that’s Cru like in wine C-R-U. So, here is our little chat with Justin.

Interview with listener Justine 01:54


So, that was great, and fun to meet someone else from the left coast here, and we had a really nice chat about his daughter, and wines from BC, and I just love meeting listeners. Remember, if you have a name for the tribe you would like us to use, just send us a note via our website or our email or DM us on Instagram and we will not only use your name, but see if you want to be on the show. We have several still to get to, and we are super excited to meet the folks on the other end of the speaker!

But back to the wine for the week, Carmela, because for this Italian wine adventure as we mentioned in the introduction, we are heading back to Italy, and we are going to one of not only our very favorite wine regions in Piedmont, and also one that Justin loves because he said he loves Nebbiolo which of course is a Piemontese wine, and Piedmont is probably the most revered wine region in Italy, to learn about a wine that we have never had before, and in fact I didn’t even really know about, called Grignolino. So, this is very exciting, because we love Italian wines, and we love to learn about new wines, and so this is the perfect wine for an Italian wine adventure! And, I have a feeling it may be a bit similar to the wine we drank last week in Cinsault - a bit of a lighter, juicier red.

But before we get there, Carmela, we need to talk about  . . .

WIne in the news this week: French Prisoners Allowed to Get Wine Shipments 07:04


This is a crazy story that falls into the “only in France” category, and I think by the name of the article, you will see why. Several news outlets and wine sites wrote about it in the last week or so, but the article we are using as our main source comes from the website Wine Searcher, and is written by Oliver Styles, and the title of the article is “French Prisoners Get Wine Delivery”

You may be picturing inmates clinking glasses in the prison cafeteria, but that’s not really it. The real story is that nearly 20,000 bottles of wine showed up at Bordeaux-Gradignan prison so that inmates could pack them into gourmet gift hampers for a food company. So the wine wasn’t for them to drink - it was for prison labor.

For a little more background, at the prison, 70–80 inmates were tasked with a job to unpack the bottles from pallets and repack them into gourmet baskets that would later be sold outside the prison as luxury food gift baskets. These baskets included wine and other high-end items, for like the holiday season and stuff like that. Now, many of you may not know this, but it is not unusual for businesses to contract with prisons.  French prisons often run ateliers (workshops) where inmates take on contract labor from private companies. And there are two good reasons for it
Prison authorities frame it as giving inmates structured work, discipline, and skills they might use after release.
The work is done for outside firms, and inmates are paid small wages but the companies get cheap labor.

Regardless, the Guards’ unions were furious. They said it was a security nightmare to have pallets of wine rolling through the prison gates, even if no one inside was allowed to drink a drop. 

  • For one, French law bans alcohol in prisons. So this seems to fly in the face of that rule. 
  • Secondly, there were only a couple of guards available to watch over the inmates doing the work, and so there was a real risk that bottles could be stolen, broken, drunk, and even used as weapons.
  • Finally, they just felt it was inappropriate to have this kind of work done inside a prison. Which I get. 


So, Carmela, let me put you on the spot:
Do you buy the guards’ argument that it’s a bad idea?

But we are not here to talk about Bordeaux wines. We are here to talk about the Italian wine from Piedmont called Grignolino, and we have two Grignolino wines to taste and review to see if we think you should run out and buy them . . . 

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug.

Thank you for listening to us and for supporting our show, and if you haven’t  had the chance to do so yet, now would be the perfect time to follow or subscribe to our podcast and leave us a nice rating and review  to help us grow our listeners - and a huge thank you to all of you who have subscribed already! 

You can also follow us on Instagram at thewinepairpodcast, and on Bluesky. You can contact us on our website thewinepairpodcast.com, and you can sign up for our email newsletter there and you can also visit our “Shop Wine” and “Shop Accessories” sections where you can find links to buy the wines that we rate as buys in each episode and accessories we think are great choices for wine lovers and as gifts, too. 

And we want to make content you care about and you like, so send us a note or DM us and give us some feedback or let us know if there are wines you want us to try or wine making areas of the world you are curious about - and we’ll take care of it! joe@thewinepairpodcast.com. Here are some shoutouts for this week

  • Ryan who let us know that escargot are delicious and reminded me that we made him try Chablis, so we should try snails
  • Dave B who in his usual Dave Baxter-like fashion let us know they pick grapes in the morning because the vines shut down
  • Lindsay who wrote us the nicest note on how she likes the information on our show and that we make her smile
  • East Idaho Foodies who sent us a whole reddit post on bad wine fan nicknames


And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should recommend The Wine Pair Podcast to - because the best way for us to grow listeners is when you tell your family and friends about us - and this week, we want you to recommend us to anyone who prefers red wines that don’t punch them in the face because this wine may be another option for them, like we found last week with Cinsault

RESEARCH ARTICLES AND LINKS FOR THIS EPISODE



Topic: WTF is Grignolino? 13:42

Carmela, let’s find out just what the eff Grignolino wine is, shall we?

First of all, Grignolino (spell it) is said to be indigenous to the Monferrato hills of Piedmont, Italy, which is located between the towns of Asti and Casale, about an hour and a half drive east of Torino, and about an hour and a half drive north of Genoa in Liguria if you know where either of those places are.

The wine grape is said to have  been cultivated in this area since at least the 13th century, and some say even as far back as the year 1,000, but documentation from1243 specifically mentions Grignolino, so we are going with that. Because facts. 

Historically, it was a popular varietal among local farmers and was said to be prized by local nobility and others with wealth. This is interesting, given that Nebbiolo is the big dog in Piedmont, which is the grape in Barolo and Barbaresco wine, but in the 19th century and first half of the 20th century, Grignolino was one of the most widely planted and appreciated wines from Piedmont. In fact, the King of Italy, when in Torino, reportedly had Grignolino on his table before Barolo became widely known. At one point, Grignolino even fetched the same price as Nebbiolo from Barolo, which just goes to show you it was a thing, and that tastes can and do change over time. Let’s hope that things change over time, amiright?!?

The name Grignolino comes from local dialect. Grignole means “many pips” or “many seeds” and the name fits because the grape has more seeds than most wine grapes. Fun fact to put in your brain box and annoy your friends and family with at your next get-together - most wine grapes only have a couple of seeds, but Grignolino typically has four to seven. This is an important thing to note because seeds are a major contributor to tannin, and Grignolino is known as a tannic wine. 

In a tale we have told many, many times with lesser known wines, Grignolino's popularity dropped significantly starting in the 1960s and especially in the 1970s and 80s because of a few things:

  • Consumers began preferring bigger, darker, and bolder red wines, a style Grignolino did not fit.
  • As a result, more robust varieties like Barolo and Barbaresco and wines made from Barbera began to become more popular, making Grignolino feel a bit out of style. 
  • It is also considered to be a challenging and temperamental grape, hard to grow and hard to make into wine because it has a lot of acid, a lot of tannin, and thin skins - which makes the grape susceptible to rot, and also can mean there is unevenness in ripening - some grapes ripen before others. So, some similarities to Pinot Noir there. 


But, Grignolino is having a comeback, and many of the articles I used for research this week have very clear titles about that - and you can find these articles in our show notes - these articles have titles like:

  • The underrated gem from Piedmont
  • Is Grignolino the new Nebbiolo?
  • Why Grignolino should be your next dinner party wine
  • Why Nebbiolo lovers should be drinking Grignolino


Part of this is because lighter, less extracted, and less punch-you-in-the-face wines are becoming more and more popular among consumers, especially younger wine drinkers. Consumers are also looking for wines we like to talk about on our podcast - less well-known, off-the-beaten path wines, and even indigenous wines rather than the same old plonk or rotgut that has been the dominant wine style for the last several decades. 

Grignolino is almost exclusively found in Piedmont, Italy, and there are three DOCs for the wine: Grignolino d'Asti, Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese, and Piemonte Grignolino. Each of these areas is said to produce different versions of the wine. Grignolino d’Asti is lighter and more perfumed, while Grignolino del Monferrato Casalese is said to be a spicier and richer wine. In Asti, the wine must be at least 90% Grignolino and up to 10% Freisa is permitted. Freisa, by the way, adds aroma, tannin, and bitterness to wines it is mixed with, along with some red fruit and earthy notes. Monferrato DOC, is has be 100% Grignolino and it has to age for 40 months, with at least 24 of those in wooden barrels - which, again, is why this is considered a richer wine. I should note that both of the wines we are drinking today are from the Asti DOC

Outside of Piedmont, there is some Gringnolino being grown in California, specifically Napa, Santa Clara, and Lodi, but again, it is still basically considered a Piemontese wine.

Sometimes, Grignolino is called baby Nebbiolo or summertime Nebbiolo - considered a similar but less serious wine to Nebbiolo wines. And, you know what, sometimes we need a little less serious in our lives. Amiright?!? It is also sometimes compared to Pinot Noir, Gamay, and Zweigelt in part because it is a very light colored wine, but also because it is fruit-forward and very aromatic.  So that gives you some idea of what to expect.

And, it should be noted that this is still a pretty small production wine. They make about 1 million bottles per year. By contrast, Barolo alone produces about 14.5 million bottles each year, and Nebbiolo in Italy all-up is about 30 million bottles, so it is definitely an underdog and will be something you really have to seek out.

But that’s enough information. I think it’s time to learn a little more about the specific wines we are drinking today. Whaddya say?


Grignolino Wines We Chose for This Episode 21:46

The wines we have chosen for this episode average under $25 each, although one is a bit higher and one is lower, and they should be relatively easy to find because I bought them both at wine.com. I will say again this is going to be a bit trickier of a wine to find. You will need to go to a wine shop with a good Italian wine selection, or, as always, go to your local wine merchant and ask them to see if they can get some for you. 

The first wine we are going to drink today is the 2021 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti. I will say right off the bat that this wine comes in a clear bottle and is super light red, almost stunning in its lightness.

According to information from the interwebs which we always link to in our show notes, The Marchesi Incisa della Rochetta family has been around since at least the 11th century and has been making wines for hundreds of years in their own vineyards which are said to have been started by Benedictine monks. Always follow the monks when you want to find booze!

The family updated their winery and tasting room in the mid-1990s, and they do all of the winemaking on the premises. In addition to Grignolino they also make Barbera, Pinot Noir, and Merlot. In fact, the clones they use for Merlot and Pinot Noir were said to be brought to the winery in the 1850’s by Leoppoldo Incisa. 

This wine comes from the winery’s Garbera vineyard, and they say the grapes are softly pressed and the soaking time during maceration is kept very short (4 to 6 days) in order to limit the tannins in the wine. The alcoholic fermentation takes place in stainless steel vats at a controlled temperature. The malolactic fermentation occurs spontaneously or is induced at a controlled temperature.

The winery says that this is a wine that should be drunk young, so we are on the tail end of that with a 4 year old wine, and they do say to serve slightly chilled. 

The second wine we are going to drink is the 2022 Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti, and this wine got a 93 from Wine Enthusiast and, you guessed it, a 90 from sucky James Suckling. 

The wine is made from 100% Grignolino, and is fermented in stainless steel. It is then aged for four months in steel tanks and then ages in the bottle for two months. So, as far as I can tell no oak on either of these two wines. 

Not a lot else about this wine other than the same notes to drink young and serve slightly chilled, and I couldn’t find out a ton about the winery, so we will move on and

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 to get some participation points, which you can trade-in for free stickers. You just need to send me an email with your mailing address, and I will get those “I drink with The Wine Pair Podcast” stickers over to you!


LINKS TO SOURCES FOR THESE SPECIFIC WINES



2021 Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti, 2022 Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti Wine Tasting, Pairing, and Review 26:26

Wine: Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti (Click here to find this wine on wine.com. We may be compensated if you purchase.)
Region: Italy, Piedmont
Year: 2021
Price: $19.97
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13.5%
Grapes: Grignolino
Professional Rating: Vivino 3.9

What we tasted and smelled in this Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti: 

  • Color: Light red, almost like a rosé, almost like vermouth or Campari with brown hue around the edge
  • On the nose: Cherry candy, strawberry Starburst, cherry Jolly Rancher, red Tootsie Pop, spicy, peppery, rosemary, oregano, Italian seasoning
  • In the mouth: Fruit juice, grape juice, quite a bit of tannin, black tea, grape seed or grape stem, woody, a bit of cherry cough syrup, medicinal, eucalyptus. Not very elegant


Food to pair with this Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti: Nothing too heavy or greasy, white meat, pizza, cheese and crackers, cheddar cheese, salt and vinegar potato chips, Greek salad, salty foods, feels like an appetizer wine, football season wine, Thanksgiving wine. Needs a good chill. 
 
As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, with no half points, 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. 

Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti Wine Rating: 

  • Joe: 6/10
  • Carmela: 8/10


Wine: Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti
Region: Italy, Piedmont
Year: 2022
Price: $26.97
Retailer: wine.com
Alcohol: 13%
Grapes: Grignolino
Professional Rating: WE 93, JS 90 Vivino 3.7

What we tasted and smelled in this Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti: 

  • Color: Light red, almost watermelon juice, rosé colored
  • On the nose: Dish soap, floral, roses, strawberry, raspberry, crunchy red fruits, watermelon, Capri Sun juice, spicy, cough syrup, honey, molasses, sweet hot Asian sauce
  • In the mouth: Tons of tannin, sticky grippy tannins, fruity, herbal tea, not a lot of fruit, paper bag or cardboard


Food to pair with this Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti: Needs food, hearty Italian dishes, bolognese, lasagna, parmigiana

Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti Wine Rating: 

  • Joe: 6/10
  • Carmela: 5/10



Which one of these are you finishing tonight?

  • Carmela: Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti
  • Joe: Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti


Taste profiles expected from Grignolino  41:00

  • General 
    • Aromas of tart cherry, wild strawberry, cranberry, rose petals, white pepper, dried herbs, clove, cinnamon, tea leaves, earthiness
    • Flavors are similar - tart cherry, red currant, raspberry, with spice, dried herbs, and some bitterness. Tends to be a crisp, dry, and a bit austere with high acidity and grippy tannins
  • Marchesi Incisa della Rocchetta Grignolino d'Asti
    • Winery: Bright ruby red, with age tending towards garnet red. Notes of cranberry, strawberries and roses with a finish of spice reminiscent of autumn. Dry and light-bodied with a crisp, fresh finish. More roses prominent spice. Pleasantly savory with a bright acidity. Balanced tannins.
    • Champion Wine Cellars: Aromas of cranberry, wild strawberry, rose, and autumnal spice, lead to a dry, light-bodied palate. Dominant bright red fruit flavors mingle with rose hip and dustings of white pepper and umami, leading to a mouth-watering finish with balanced, refined tannins on this gorgeous, chillable red.
  • Braida Limonte Grignolino d'Asti
    • Winery: floral scents featuring rose, freshly cut hay, fruit such as apricots and yellow plums, accompanied by a corollary of wild strawberry, raspberry and cherry. Fresh and vinous palate, elegantly fleshy, featuring the same rose and fruits expressed in the nose with the same intensity. Initially fine tannins subsequently grow in importance. Good balance and persistence.
    • WE: Limonte is a classic example of the Grignolino grape, with aromas of red currant and pomegranate seeds that meld with herbal and intense floral notes. The mouth-watering palate pops with tart red berries, wild herbs and an unexpected minerality that can make you do a double take.
    • JS: Rose hips, raspberries, pomegranate and a hint of wet stones on the nose. Elegant on the palate with a medium body wrapped by nicely grippy tannins and a supple, berry-driven finish. A little simple but pretty refined and transparent.


What is your verdict on Grignolino? 43:26

We need to have more of it. Carmela really liked the first one quite a bit. Don’t feel like we have had the full experience yet.

Outro and how to find The Wine Pair Podcast 44:16

Ok, so, Carmela, it’s 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 follow or subscribe to our podcast and also a fantastic time to leave us a nice rating and review on our website or Apple podcasts or wherever you get your podcasts - and it is an awesome and free way to support us and help us grow listeners.

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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.

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