This fresh, crisp Italian white wine is the perfect porch pour

Fans of pinot grigio from northern Italy might be interested to know that many other Italian white wines share a similar flavor profile, even when made from other grapes in other regions. This is partly due to pinot grigio’s popularity, of course, but also stems from a white winemaking philosophy that is rooted in Italy’s viticultural history and gastronomic sensibilities.

Historically, the world’s finest white wines have tended to be modeled on either French or German styles. The French typically first aimed to ripen their grapes as fully as possible, then to make their wines as dry as possible, producing food-flattering styles with plenty of palate weight, concentration, and flavor complexity.

In colder regions like Germany’s Rhineland, grapes often needed to be picked at lower degrees of ripeness, making this French method impractical. Colder cellars over the winter also made it feasible to separate the liquid from the yeast before all sugar was converted into alcohol, resulting in a lighter, sweeter, and fruitier style.

In Italy, vintners adopted a hybrid winemaking style that incorporated a little of both methods. Italian white grapes were often harvested before peak ripeness, as they were in Germany and Austria, and produced lightweight wines as a result. However, they were almost always fermented to complete dryness in the more food-oriented French style, due to an Italian preference for drier wines that partner well with savory foods.

This unusual white blend from Tuscany makes a perfect example. Made by one of the wine world’s most respected families, this creative mix of both local and nontraditional grapes is picked early to preserve freshness and delicacy of texture and fermented to the edge of dryness. Its crisp flavors of green pears, lemongrass, and jasmine tea shine a spotlight on simple dishes like fish with lemon or Caesar salad.

$12.99 12% alcohol

PLCB Item #7407

Sale price through 7/31 — regularly $14.99

Also available at these New Jersey stores:

Joe Canal’s in Bellmawr, $10.99, joecanalsbellmawr.com; Joe Canal’s in Lawrenceville, $12.49, lawrenceville.jcanals.com; Cheers Wine & Spirits in Voorhees, $12.99, cheers-nj.com.