I generally don’t expect much out of my tiny local LCBO except long line-ups and credit card debt, so when an employee actually read my mind with his eye-lasers this weekend, I admit I was a little taken aback. I had wandered in to find a pinot grigio to pair with dinner when a friendly LCBO staffer stopped me at random in front of the Italian section. “You should get this”, he said with no further introduction, pointing at a Cavit 2007 Pinot Grigio. “It’s crisp and fruity, and an excellent deal.” Since I generally like my Saturdays to be crisp and fruity, I was sold, especially at the $11.15 price point.
My disturbingly perceptive friend was fairly accurate with his recommendation. The Cavit, a yellowy straw colour in the glass, tasted vaguely of apple and citrus and had a surprising earthy spice that came through in the aroma. Now, to the drawbacks: it was lacking a lot of the promised crispness, and the taste really didn’t linger for long afterwards, so for drinking on its own, it was nothing spectacular. But when the food finally hit the table (an hour late…sorry, guests) it developed more personality. The citrus notes and acidity were amplified significantly by a number of ingredients, including the lime juice in the fresh guacamole, the rice vinegar and capers in the salsa on the broiled tilapia, and the awesome lemon tart courtesy of Alana and Dave. It was also a nice light contrast to the somewhat absurd panko-crusted macaroni and cheese we made, which featured an extraordinarily healthy sauce made of cream, pecorino, fontina, butter, shallots and truffle oil.
Overall, a good choice. I’m not sure I’m sold on Pinot Grigio yet, but I’d drink this again, especially with something citrus-y.
The Cheap Drunk 