Though there is no shortage of pinot grigio produced in Italy, there are a few regions where they take this grape seriously and make some incredible wines from it. My goal was to make something a bit more than your average pinot grigio white wine by sourcing from the ideal region in Victoria, and I hope I have achieved that.

For the second time fruit came from the King Valley, the unofficial home of the variety in Australia. Fruit was harvested overnight and pressed at the vineyard. The juice was transported to the winery and subsequently racked to mostly three-year-old 500L puncheons for ferment. Malolactic fermentation was halted once fermented, and the wine aged on lees for a further six months. The wine was blended then bottled in September 2023.

In discussion with my wife Victoria about what I should call this addition to the Vino Intrepido range, we discussed the grey part of the variety’s name, and started thinking about grey animals. The wolf was one of the first that came to mind – majestic yet dangerous – and the term ‘wolf in sheep’s clothing’ stood out for me, as this pinot grigio is probably not what you’d expect, packing more punch than you might have become accustomed to.