When you order a glass of white in the US, the answer is the question “Pinot Grigio or Chardonnay?” according to Simon Hoggart writing in the Spectator at the end of April. So when a sample of 2012 Hill & Dale Pinot Grigio arrived and I needed a BYO for the Italian Tour at Societi Bistro, the bucolic bevy seemed like a good idea.

It is made from the quintessential Italian white grape, after all, and at under R40 a bottle, good value indeed. I didn’t need to bother as the Societi wine list boasts over half-a-dozen Grigios, which speaks volumes to the popularity of the cultivar in SA.

The H&D is tangy pear juice for grown-ups and the abstemious 12% alcohol makes it a candidate aperitif for Wednesday evening’s black-tie bash to hand out the Brandhouse Responsible Drinking Media Awards.