Venezie IGT.  Citrine yellow.  Bouquet, persistent with a note of fresh pear and bread crust.  Taste, dry and sapid, with an aftertaste of sagebrush flowers that lingers persistently.  Well balanced.  Tastes much more expensive than it actually is.  2006 review below.  This wine is extremely consistent from vintage to vintage - so the '08 is very much like the '06 reviewed below. 12% alc/vol.   6-PACK

Casa Defra Pinot Grigio della Venezie, Veneto (Italy), A$22

Good northern Italian pinot grigio is a style many winemakers in other countries aspire to, but most fall well short of the target. This one combines a nicely overt fruitiness with the delicacy and immediate quaffability that we expect of the style.  Scented with honeydew melon and stone fruit, the wine has a degree of richness and is intense but soft in the mouth.  A clean, beautifully made drop that glides easily across the palate. HH  (Huon Hooke)

Best Buy - Imports Under $25: Gourmet Traveller WINE - June/July2008 edition.