Wine of the Week

Pinot Grigio is the workhorse of Italian white grapes. Much of the time it makes a nondescript wine poured in bars and trattorie all over Italy and opened for countless alfresco summer meals. When made well, though, it can be much better than that, as this wine attests. It helps tremendously that it’s made from grapes grown in Alto Adige, the part of Italy that adjoins Austria, and that Hfstatter is one of Alto Adige’s best winemakers.

Warm weather is around the corner, so the search is on for summer wines, and this one fits the bill. Ripe and round, but with a firm core of acidity that sets off the fruit, it is wonderful with shellfish, grilled fish or shrimp, pastas with seafood and vegetables.

About $16. Available at Wine Exchange in Orange, (714) 974-1454; Hi-Time Wine Cellars in Costa Mesa, (949) 650-8463; and Woodland Hills Wine Co. in Woodland Hills, (818) 222-1111. If you can’t find this wine, have your local retailer call the importer, Vinifera Imports, at (805) 546-1900.