There are two entirely different worlds of Pinot Grigio, and American imbibers are slowly catching on to the better one. True, there is an awful lot of highly indifferent PG sloshing around, and its very success commercially has tainted the reputation of what is, or can be, delectable, mountainside versions.

Pinot Grigio, the good stuff, comes from the dramatic valleys in the foothills of the Italian Alps, especially Friuli and Alto-Adige, and can be stunning, and decently priced too, while on the other side of the coin oceans of weak, watery wine grown in commercial quantities on the valley floors is indifferent, at best.