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Delle Venezie brings Pinot Grigio masterclass to British public

01 August 2025 By Michael Huband

At a consumer masterclass in Cambridge, drinkers discovered the deeper story behind Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC.

A theatre full of Brits in summer dress, ready to devour burgers and listen to the boy band Blue: it is far removed from the serious, contemplative stereotypes of wine industry events. That was, however, entirely the point. Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC headed to Foodies Festival in Cambridge in search of the people who have powered its meteoric rise: ordinary drinkers.

Indeed, Peter McCombie MW, who presented the masterclass, termed it “the wine that we in the UK wine trade love to hate”. Unlike complex, specific fine wines, Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC does not need experts to gatekeep it. Instead, its success in the UK, equating to more than two-and-a-half bottles consumed every second, has been powered by people.

During the masterclass, McCombie posited a few reasons why Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC has found such favour with consumers. The wines are crisp and fresh, ideal for serving cold on a summer’s day. They are subtle and not too serious, foregrounding accessible fruit aromas and elegant structure. Consistency, also, is in the wines’ favour: these are usually intended to be drunk young and tend to stay consistent between vintages.

Many in the audience already knew the region. Many, in fact, were already big fans of these northeast Italian wines. McCombie thus took the opportunity of a six-wine tasting to delve more deeply into the style and the technicalities of Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC. With a tasting-led approach and an attitude that there are no stupid questions, he allowed the audience to better understand both the different styles of the wines and their own personal preferences.

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Tutored tasting

McCombie first addressed the fundamentals: the region and the grape. He tried to give a sense of the sheer size of the Triveneto region, allowing large-scale production of the popular variety. He also summarised its key influences on production, such as the cool air from the Alps that results in refreshing acidity and delicate fruit aromas.

To explain the variety’s significance, McCombie compared it to Pinot Noir. He emphasised that the two are only distinguished by a colour mutation, and speculated that Pinot Grigio perhaps deserves more of the praise heaped on its sibling. He also gave attendees a simple wine label hack, teaching them the stylistic difference implied by Pinot Grigio versus Pinot Gris.

The masterclass also provided an insight into winemaking techniques that drinkers often overlook. In just one denomination, they can vary appreciably, with the wines on display demonstrating how fruit ripeness, bâtonnage and residual sugar can all affect the final taste. McCombie also harked back to the discussion of the grape with a copper-hued ramato, the style akin to rosé made through extended maceration with the grape skins.

For many in the audience, that was a new discovery, proving that even a familiar region has more to uncover. For all the guests, however, the masterclass demonstrated perfectly why Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC has such an enduring appeal for the UK market. If the wine trade loves to hate it, then the general public seems quite content to continue loving the region and its wines.