After the calmness lockdown provided, I have found it difficult to get back up to speed of real life. Over the last few weeks of rushing, I realised I needed the chance to catch my breath, so I whisked myself away to a remote island...
My new London adventure. Starting my WSET Diploma fills me with so much excitement, but also fear. The wine world is so complex, every time I feel I have grasped a concept, I realise I have barely scratched the surface. Recently, I have been studying hard for the course while puppy-sitting my new niece (a perfect fluff ball called Penny), applying for jobs (thank you Covid) and doing a whole load of life admin that was forgotten about during the months of lockdown.
A few weeks ago, after coming to the realisation that we won't be hopping on a plane and jetting off to a sun soaked location, my friend and I decided we would see what Scotland has to offer. I have been fortunate enough to spend my Summers in Spain since I was born and therefore have never really appreciated the beauty of Scottish Summer. We loaded up the car, put on our cosy jumpers and headed to Gigha, a small remote island on the West-coast of Scotland about a three hour car journey from Glasgow.
Gigha is tiny, we were able to drive from one end of the island (on one of the two roads on the island) in 10 minutes. At the North of the island, there is a geographical wonder called 'Twin Beaches', major Chitty Chitty Bang Bang vibes.
The crystal clear water, white sand beaches and glorious golden sun could have been any island in the Caribbean not Scotland!
We set up out tent and spent the afternoon paddling in rock pools, playing scrabble and of course, having a glass of wine. Truly wonderful...
The wine of choice was an inexpensive Tesco Pinot Grigio Blush. It was nothing outstanding but did the trick as we sipped the pale pink wine and played in the sun. This wine is from Trentino- Alto Adige, situated at the foothills of the Alps in Northern Italy. The regions moderate climate, short summers and low rainfall enable light bodied red wines and aromatic whites to grow in the terraced vineyards. 
Pinot Grigio is the most popular grape variety in this region, the dry, light bodied and high acid style with green fruit and citrus characteristics are expected for this area.
The Pinot Gris (Pinot Grigio) grape can make a variety of styles, from full bodied aromatic to light bodied and simple. With a berry colour, which is much darker than other white varieties, a pinky tinge can be visible in some bottles dependent on winemaker style (hence why this bottle is delicately pink!). The grape is early budding and ripening, meaning it will grow and ripen earlier in the summer months compared to other varieties. The grape berries themselves can be very small with potential to produce high sugar content and low/moderate acidity.

Pinot Grigio originated in France but saw remarkable success in Northern Italy with planting of this variety doubling between 1900's-2000's due to customer demand in the USA and United Kingdom.
This bottle from Tesco cost £7. With floral notes of elderflower and orange blossom followed by delicate stone fruit flavours such as nectarine and peach rounded off with subtle strawberry, this wine was perfect for a evening in the sun.
I wouldn't rush back to get this wine and I believe the 4 star rating on Vivimo is generous. However, this wine was ideal when watching the sunset, lighting a fire and listing to the distant call of seagulls while looking over the Atlantic Ocean towards Ireland and relishing in the calmness of a Scottish Summer..
