Hello:
Here is another newbie question.
My wife and I have tried several different Pinot Grigios. Some had a strong bitter finish while others were only slightly bitter. Is "bitter" something one develops a taste for or is there something wrong with whites with a strong bitter aftertaste?

Thanking you in advance,
Harry

Do you find this with other varietals as well? If not, it could be that you and your wife, like me, just don't like Pinot Grigio. My own personal take on this wine is that when it is "good", it is merely decent, and when it is average or below average, it is downright undrinkable. To my taste, low quality Pinot Grigio is just about the most bitter pill to swallow. If you have been drinking under $10 bottles, it wouldn't shock me to learn that the problem lies solely in the wine, and not with your ability to appreciate same.
But the ultimate answer to your question is: No. Bitterness is not something that you need to get used to. Acidity, yes. This is wine afterall, not grape juice. But bitterness, no. If a wine is so bitter as to interfere with its enjoyment, pass on it and move on.

If the bitterness is acidity it would probably be more agreeable with acidic foods. I am not a huge pinot grigio fan but admit that it often pairs well with more food with more acidic preperations (lemon,vinigar, etc). I do agree with prior post thought that even the best pinot grigios I have add are not as appealing to me as an average NZ Sauv. Blanc.

AKA Calcabsmyfavorite shortened to get rid of annoying narrow posts

The Italians and the Canadians butcher that grape. Try a Pinot Gris (same grape) from Oregon or Alsace. I have yet to try one from California, though I'm seeing them in stores.

Just one more sip.

The Cali versions are similar to what is done here with Riesling....softer and sweeter with much less acidity.

Try chilling the wine a little more. The bitterness could be due to higher alcohol and lower sugars. Alcohol translates to warmth and bitterness of the back of the palate particularly if the wine lacks solid fruit characters.

Jeremy Ellis<br />Brown's Seriously Fine Wines<br />Auckland, NZ<br />mighty turnip hunter. The animals are just to damn fast.

There are too many good wines that are enjoyable to even bother trying to get used to bitter wines.

I've only ever had Italian Pinot Grigios and they have been horrid, every last one of them. It's a grape I'm reluctant to go near because of it and wonder why anybody bothers making wine with it. If I ever fall over an Oregan or Alsace one I might be tempted after Board-O's note but generally - yeuch!

Wine, Women and Song - one out of three ain't bad

Bitterness is a serious fault, not due to acidity since acid and bitter are opposites. I think it is likely a fruit problem.

Try Grauerburgunders from Germany - nice and crisp with acidity and medium body

Interestingly Ervin, if the acidity is high enough it can counter act the bitterness by "balancing" the palate. Good examples of this are high alcohol white wines (say above the %14) which without high acidity are not only flabby but are also bitter.

Jeremy Ellis<br />Brown's Seriously Fine Wines<br />Auckland, NZ<br />mighty turnip hunter. The animals are just to damn fast.