INSIDER'S PICK: 2022 BIRICHINO MALVASIA BIANCA MONTEREY $22.99

One of the great things about the world of wine is that there are always new ways to look at things, a different spin that can put a completely different character into a varietal or region. It's always risky going against the grain, especially when you only have one shot each harvest to get things right, so we always admire the bold strokes when they are taken. Malvasia is a prominent grape across much of Europe, known for the intense perfume wherever it goes. More often than not the easier way to go with it is to make the wine sweeter to play up the floral character, so Malvasia has the reputation of being sweet pretty much everywhere it goes. One of the tenets of the 'minimal intervention' winemaking movement-of which Birichino is one of the top names in California-is making wines with brighter acidity and lower alcohol levels, which tends to also make for drier wines. In their hands grapes like Malvasia can have a whole new impact. On first pour the famous perfume is evident, loaded with hot house flowers, white peach and magnolias, but freshness without any sort of candied notes. The palate is round but full of white citrus skin and lime zest, lively and mouth-watering with acidity instead of sweet fruit sticking to the end. Elegant enough for delicate seafood dishes and can handle loads of more exotic flavor combinations with your more subtle meat and vegetable dishes.  ​

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