In a little corner of Murano, the glass making island of Venice, Italy, there is a modest neighborhood restaurant with the freshest fish and homemade pasta. One hot day in August, 2005, Emanuele and Mary Beth Gaiarin with their children visited Murano (they wanted to buy a Venetian glass chandelier for their house in Virginia) and had lunch at this unassuming little trattoria, with a phenomenal menu of fish for the parents and pasta for the kids. They ordered the house wine and it came with its whimsical, hand drawn label. As they enjoyed their lunch, they realized, while looking at the label of the wine, that the organic winery Musaragno makes the wine for Lele’s restaurant. What a small world: Siema Wines imports Musaragno into the United States and Emanuele’s sister, Barbara, manages the winery. They started talking to Lele at the end of their meal, and Mary Beth got the idea to bring the wine to the US market with the same label. It would be a great way to market Lele’s exquisite little restaurant, and would showcase the traditional Pinot Grigio, light copper in color, from the Veneto.

Lele is larger than life, a true Venetian, and the story behind the label is that one boozy night at the restaurant, a friend of Lele’s doodled a sketch on the napkin, depicting Lele and a variety of his favorite past times. Lele loved it so much that he decided to use it on his house wine.

This Pinot Grigio has the traditional light copper color of the old style Pinot Grigio from the Veneto region. It has perfect acidity and flavors of citrus— a wonderful reminder of lunches on warm summer days in Venice. It is a fine aperitif and excellent with appetizers, soups, egg dishes and fish based dishes. Drink this Pinot Grigio when young, preferably within the vintage year.

If you ever find yourself in Murano, visit Lele and tell him you enjoy his wine in America. You will have a friend for life!

When Siema Wines first started bringing this wine into the US market, it was truly a hand-sell— clients had to be taught that this is such a unique Pinot Grigio with its light copper color. Today, it has a staunch following that is growing considerably.

A little about the vinification process— must is separated immediately from the pomace and refrigerated; fermentation uses selected yeasts at controlled temperature. When young it has a pleasant fruity aroma and with the passing of time takes on a bouquet reminiscent of fermented hay, walnut hull and toasted almonds.

Originating in Burgundy or Alsace, this vine was brought to Italy by a Piedmont wine grower who first began cultivating it in the zone around Alessandria and Cuneo around the year 1820. It was introduced into the Lison Pramaggiore D.O.C. region in the mid-1900s.

The winery of Musaragno has adopted the strict regulations of organic agriculture in which all fungicides and synthesized insecticides are banned and vineyard cultivation utilizes natural methods only. In practice, this means not depleting the plants and terrain, keeping yield levels low in favor of improved product quality and safeguarding health and the environment. The biologic cultivation of the winery's grapes is strictly controlled and certified by the ICEA (Instituto per la Certificazione Etico e Ambientale).

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