2020 Mussio Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie 750 ml

When we want a crisp, bright, spectacularly food friendly white wine, we look to Northern Italy’s Delle Venezie. This sunny, windswept locale is ground zero for Pinot Grigio—and the 2020 Mussio might be one of its most overachieving bottles.

Our first encounter came at a wine bar in Udine, where the Mussio announced itself as the discovery of our journey through the region’s emerald hills. Lemon zest and tropical-fruit aromas burst forth with hints of chamomile and ocean spray. Lively on the palate with intricate spice notes and limestone minerality, it’s refreshing as a mountain stream, zippy enough to pair with anything from tagliatelle to summer salads.

The wine kept calling for another sip, another pour, another bottle, but it only took one glass for our VP of Wine Eduardo Dingler to announce: “I rarely find wines of this caliber at this price.” 

Friuli native Max Mussio created the label to honor his grandfather, who crafted wine here in the mid-1900s. A small-production passion project that’s rarely available in the US, Mussio punches way above its weight class, showcasing what makes Delle Venezie so special.  

The region is defined by duality, bathed in shield-your-eyes sunlight but at an elevation where winds from the snow-laden Dolomites keep temperatures moderate, preserving the grapes’ bright acidity. That’s why Wine Enthusiast called Friuli and Alto Adige—two of Delle Venezie’s three major subregions—“the finest growing zones for white wine in Italy.” 

It’s an area where you can get world-class Pinot Grigios for a song—yet even in this gold mine of value, Mussio stands out. Our advice: get enough to make it your summer standby.