Valdadige (Etschtaler) (Trentino-Alto Adige / Veneto) DOC

A long valley-floor DOC following the Adige river through three provinces, mostly used for Pinot Grigio and Chardonnay from the flat vineyards that don't qualify for Trentino or Alto Adige DOC. It's the appellation on Santa Margherita's Pinot Grigio, the wine that built the US market for the grape in the 1980s. Expect clean, light, cold-fermented whites with pear, citrus and a touch of almond, a little more acidity than delle Venezie because of the alpine air; the Schiava reds are pale and strawberry-scented. Competent, useful, rarely exciting.