Italian Grapes Grown Outiside of Italy and Served Out of a Box? Che Diamine!!! #ItalianFWT

Do you drink wine from a box?  Do you admit to drinking wine from a box?  We drink a lot of wine around here and I find the boxed wines to be not only economical but pretty darn good.....

So when the Italian Food Wine and Travel group asked us to share Italian Grapes grown outside of Italy, I just happened to have a box of Pinot Grigio handy........

The Teen's Aunt Michelle drinks white wine and Pinot Grigio is her preference.  Yes, I even serve boxed wines to guests.  These wines stay fresh in the box for a long while so I know that any time Michelle or any white wine drinker comes over it will be available for them and that we can enjoy it ourselves between visits.

Linda of My Full Wine Glass is hosting this month.  You can learn more in her Invitation Post and you can join in Twitter Chat on Saturday, March 6 at 11 AM ET, following #ItalianFWT.  We would love to have you join us.

Here are the topics we will be discussing.........

• Camilla at Culinary Adventures with Camilla: Cheesy Bites, a Colorful Board, and a Barbera...from California
• Wendy at A Day in the Life on the Farm: Italian Grapes Grown Outside of Italy and Served Out of a Box? Che Diamine!!!
• Andrea at The Quirky Cork: Tuscany Meets Turkey with Chateau Murou Montepulciano Sangiovese
• Jeff at FoodWineClick!: Italian Grapes from Unti Vineyards at the Winter Grill
• Martin at ENOFYLZ Wine Blog: A Splendid Cal-Ital: 2016 Giornata Nebbiolo Luna Matta Vineyard
• Jennifer at Vino Travels: Remy Wines: Italian Grapes in Oregon and a Winery After my Heart
• Terri at Our Good Life: Italian Grapes in Lodi Paired with Grilled Salmon Tacos
• Nicole at Somm’s Table: 2 Italian White Wine Blends Born in California
• Gwendolyn at Wine Predator: Italy in California: from Aglianico to Zinfandel and Italy in California: Nebbiolo from Humboldt's Terragena and Santa Barbara’s Silver
• Susannah at Avvinare: Vermentino, A Star In and Out of Italy
• Lynn at Savory the Harvest: Honoring An Italian American: Palmina Wines in Santa Barbara County
• Linda at My Full Wine Glass: Native Italian grapes find a home in the land of Pinot Noir

I poured Frank and I a glass of this Franzia Pinot Grigio when we were enjoying one of our favorite Meatless Entrees, Mushroom Stroganoff.  The bright, lemony flavor of this dish pairs very nicely with the California grown Pinot Grigio.  

Franzia was started by a woman, which is perfect since March is Women's History Month.  Theresa Carrera came over from Italy to marry Guiseppe Franzia who had settled in California.  She planted the first grapes on their property in 1906.

According to Wikipedia, Franzia is now produced by The Wine Group.  The Wine Group is the third largest wine company in the world following Constellation Brands and E&J Gallo.  It is interesting to note that Theresa's daughter, Amelia, married into the Gallo family and loaned her husband the money he needed to start Gallo wines.  In 1973, the Franzia family sold the brand to the Coca Cola company.  

So the next time you are in the store, grab a couple of boxes of wine.  Franzia is a good brand as is Black Box which we buy quite often.  We recently tried Costco's brand of boxed wines and were very pleasantly surprised. 

Pinot Grigio is a very well known Italian Grape variety however it has it's roots firmly planted in France where it is known as Pinot Gris.  Pinot Grigio is the second most popular white wine in the world.  Not surprisingly, Chardonnay is in the number one slot.  These grapes make a beautiful, crisp, acidic, citrusy wine that I love to enjoy in the summertime while lounging in the pool.  It pairs extremely well with seafood, like this Salmon in White Wine Sauce as well as with salads like this one topped with Grilled Chicken and a Blueberry Vinaigrette.

Hope to see you at chat. Cheers!!!!