2025 Italo Cescon Pinot Grigio, Veneto

Italo Cescon is a family estate with roots in Veneto dating back to the 1950s, when Italo Cescon began bottling wines from the family vineyards. Today the next generation continues the story, producing bright, characterful wines from north-eastern Italy. The famous little vine cutting tied to each bottle has become a Cescon signature, but happily there’s plenty going on inside the bottle too.

Veneto’s position between the Adriatic and the foothills of the Alps gives Pinot Grigio an ideal combination of sunshine and cooling influence. The 2025 vintage brings youthful fruit and aromatic lift, with cool nights helping retain the crisp acidity that makes this style so refreshing. Gentle winemaking keeps the focus firmly on crunchy fruit rather than oak or unnecessary weight.

Pale straw with green highlights, the nose opens with nashi pear, green apple and white peach, followed by lemon blossom and a little citrus zest. The palate is crisp and lively, with juicy pear and apple carried by bright acidity. Hints of grapefruit peel and fresh almond add a subtle savoury note before a clean, dry and wonderfully refreshing finish.

This is made for aperitivo: salt-and-pepper calamari, grilled prawns with lemon, zucchini flowers, prosciutto and melon, spaghetti alle vongole or crispy arancini. Our pick is the zucchini flowers, hot, salty and delicate against properly cold Pinot Grigio is a rather efficient argument for opening the bottle before dinner.

Cellaring: Drink now to 2030.