Ammonite Wine!

Back from retreating to Brighton.

Highlight of the trip was choosing a wine for dinner on the first night and picking Riff Pinot Grigio. I actually picked it because it was European and therefore had travelled less miles than something from the USA or Australia and because it was listed as being from the Veneto.

When it arrived I was amazed to see that it had an ammonite on its label.

Most vineyards in the region are located on the slopes of the foothills of the Dolomites, a part of the Alps that dictate the climate and bless the region with some of the most prized alluvial soils. These soils are composed of dolomite, a limestone made of fossil deposits of an ancient ocean that covered this region 4.6 million years ago. The name riff (German for reef), thus refers to the Dolomite's geologic origin.

The vineyard sources for most of this Pinot Grigio contain a substantial amount of dolomite limestone which has an obvious impact on the wine's character and style. It is because of the contribution that these fossils (limestone) make to the wine's character that they have been chosen to be incorporated into the label design as a reminder of its geological origin.

Yep, I kept the bottle and I don't care what the staff in the posh hotel thought of me. I was wearing my ammonite at the time so maybe they just realised that I was a crazy person.