Bored of Chardonnay? Add This Lesser-Known White to Your Picnic Basket Instead

Summer is half over—and if you’re anything like me, that means you’ve already consumed your yearly quota of Chardonnay and Pinot Grigio and would welcome a new house white to see you through to Labor Day.

Enter Pinot Blanc, an easygoing but oft-overlooked white grape variety that’s a cousin to Pinots Gris and Noir.

Alois Lageder’s 2014 Dolomiti Pinot Bianco (as Pinot Blanc is called in Italy) hails from Alto Adige, in the northeastern part of the country. The wine’s green apple and white stone fruit flavors are ripe and fresh; it’s dry but not overly acidic and has a round, almost plump mouthfeel.

Don’t overthink the ultimate food pairing for this everyday white—this is a bottle for the picnic basket, perfectly satisfying alongside cold pasta salad and grilled chicken.

Your local wine shop probably won’t have more than a handful of other Pinot Blancs to explore. Keep your eyes peeled for bottlings from Alsace (try Hugel and Domaines Schlumberger, Oregon (many producers there make good Pinot Blanc, Willamette Valley Vineyards and Ponzi among them), Germany, and California. Dutton Goldfield’s Shop Block Pinot Blanc, from California’s Russian River Valley, is one worth seeking out.

What's your white wine of choice? Tell us in the comments!