Wine Boyz Go Gris

Mr. D. offered up his apartment for a Wine Boyz (and Grrrl) night and, given the heat wave Van City has been experiencing, he decided that the theme would be cool and white. As the refresher du jour, he asked us all to bring along a Pinot Gris - or for the more Italian of us, Pinot Grigio.

Most of the gang in attendance were avowed red wine aficionados and, in fact, most Wine Boyz nights are red-based affairs. We didn't know quite what to expect but we were looking forward to the reactions.

With five folks in attendance, we have five new wines to add to The List:

113. 2006 Domaine Mersiol Pinot Gris (Alsace - France)

114. 2007 Kim Crawford Boyszone Pinot Gris (Marlborough - New Zealand)

115. 2008 Santa Margherita Pinot Grigio (DOC Valdadige - Trentino-Alte Adige - Italy)

116. 2008 Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris (Golden Mile - VQA Okanagan)

117. 2008 [yellow tail] Pinot Grigio (South Eastern Australia)

At a couple of the most recent tastings, we've had duplicate bottles brought by chance - when the themes were much broader. So it was a surprise that we had five different nations represented this evening. Quite the wide spectrum for comparison.

Even more surprising was the fact that our reactions were quite similar across the board. Although all five bottles would be gone in a heartbeat at a patio party, the top two faves and the least popular of the night were very clear.

The Domaine Mersiol Alsace was the clear "winner" with 4 of 5 first place votes (with the remaining vote being a second place). Although it's not always the case, this winner was also the most expensive of the lot. Elzee actually broke the under $25 rule. This was a $29 bottle that she found on sale for $27. When the clerk heard the reason for the purchase, she discounted the price a bit more because she thought we needed to try it. Elzee can "cheat" whenever she wants if we get to enjoy the wine as much as we did. The wine had a touch of residual sweetness and that might have been the winning factor. Rather expensive for a summer patio sipper, but I can think of any number of other reasons to grab a bottle.

Almost as clear cut was the Kim Crawford Boyszone. Wine Boyz. Boyszone. It just made sense to bring this bottle along. I guess the fact that it was a solid second choice proves the point.

Unfortunately for Davey Boi, his [yellow tail] took all five last place votes. This was a bit intriguing considering the amount of slagging [yellow tail] wines seem to take in the wine world nowadays. It should be pointed out that it was the cheapest wine by probably a good $5 though.

Maybe this was an evening of you get what you pay for.