White wine makers finally realized that they were being scoffed at and decided to ramp up the quality to retake their market share. And red wine drinkers who, for years, tut-tutted the shallow whites as useless suddenly discovered the joys of a lightly chilled and briskly acidic wine as a come-hither invitation to the delights of the table.

Chardonnay was good, but had already given birth to an anti- market. Dubbed ABC wine, it referred to wine drinkers looking for “anything but Chardonnay.” There was a dalliance with Viognier and Riesling, and perennial flirtations with exotic Old World wines like Torrontes, Marsanne, Aligoté, and Albariño, but as aperitif wines go, we were looking for brisk, lively wines that tantalized the palate and prepared us for the meal.

Enter Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris. Not the PGs of years past, wines that lacked finish and were hard to distinguish from the water glass standing next to it. PGs of today boast a panoply of flavors, citrus overtones, balance, and – more so in the case of Pinot Gris – supple textures.

  I would still choose a Pinot Grigio for a pre-prandial drink. Its racy flavors and gulpability are perfect for the first drink of the evening. And I would pick Pinot Gris, with its fuller mouthfeel and longer impression as the wine to serve with food. But both have their place.

Banfi 2010 Le Rime Pinot Grigio (Tuscany, $9). Refreshing and bright, with lemony acidity.

Castello di Gabbiano 2010 Pinot Grigio (Tuscany, $8).  Scents of lemon zest and lime come first, followed by a zesty, bright fruity wine with highlights of citrus.

Erath 2009 Pinot Gris (Oregon, $14). Silky smooth, luscious white peach and pear flavors yet with a tingling threat of acidity to hold it all together.

Kumeu River 2009 Pinot Gris (Auckland, New Zealand, $21). Peach and vanilla on the nose, followed by the rich flavors of ripe peach and tropical fruit. The slightly oily hint to the texture bodes well and shows a full-bodied wine to pair well with cream-based dishes.

Ponzi 2010 Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, $15). Zesty and refreshing, hint of lime and floral accents on nose, main theme of lime on palate, with citrus acidity bracing the entire impression.

Santa Cristina 2010 Pinot Grigio (Sicily, $16). Crisp bright fruit aromas with a floral hint, slight apple and citrus flavors with touch of orange on finish.

WillaKenzie 2010 Pinot Gris (Willamette Valley, $21).  Crisp, fresh, lively acidity, bright pear and crisp apple flavors, touch of pineapple on finish.

This is precisely the time that Pinot Grigio stands out.

A wine like Pietra Santa’s 2009 Pinot Grigio, a first release from new vineyards planted by Alessio Carli in California’s Cienega Valley, is perfect for the lightly battered and fried calamari of Peacock Café in Georgetown. At this restaurant, the calamari is served with an herb sauce, a delicate combination that still showcases the prominent flavors of the calamari itself.

A simple wine would not do and, although many other versions of Pinot Grigio could be accused of being too simple, Pietra Santa’s is not. Zesty and smooth, with brisk acidity and flavors of white peach and lemon, this PG stands well against the fried flavors, without losing its breadth of flavor or its appeal.

Carli, from Siena, Italy, has a long résumé, including time spent making wine at Fattoria Il Castagno and Badia a Coltibuono in Tuscany. He was lured to the U.S. by Sam Sebastiani to take over winemaking at Viansa Winery in Sonoma County. He spread his expertise among several other properties, then was hired in 1991 by Joseph Gimelli to take the reins of Pietra Santa. Carli survived the change of ownership from Gimelli to the Blackburn family and has been producing superb wines at Pietra Santa for nearly 20 years.

The Cienega Valley is not well known to American wine lovers. Located in Hollister, California, it is the source of many brands more famous than the town – or the clothing store named after it – like Pietra Santa, Calera, and Carli’s other winery, Alicats, named after his twin daughters.

Matching Italian-style wines with food has always been an easy chore. Defining the role of Pinot Grigio in this environment has been a bit more of a project. Those with experience with Italian cuisine and viticulture understand the importance of symmetry and Alessio Carli is one of the best ever. Finding a place and a match for his Pinot Grigio is easy.

So, quick, let’s drink them up while the sun still shines. And I can’t think of a more summer-like white than Pinot Grigio. Long thought to be an insipid Italian excuse for white wine, the new styles are attracting more attention with their focus on bright fruit, tingly acidity, and citrus accents.

Pairing Pinot Grigio with summer fare – especially the grilled delights that we cling to as the summer sun sets – is quite easy given the wine’s versatility. The wine easily goes with pork, fowl, and seafood, fresh vegetables and steamed shellfish, and a long list of other food that is best served in the heat of the backyard barbecue.

In the past, I’ve paired it with a range of warm weather dishes, like tomato mozzarella salad, vinegar-based salad dressings, white pizza, salad with apples and nuts, sweet and spicy couscous, lemon-dill seafood salad, and assorted grilled seafood.

The key to appreciating Pinot Grigio is not to mistake it for a serious wine. It’s pleasant and fruity, it’s usually off-dry although some incarnations are finished “soft,” which is to say a tiny bit sweet, and it is laced with just enough acidity to give it structure and backbone – at least the new releases are.

So here are some to consider:

Castello di Gabbiano 2008 Pinot Grigio (Venezia, $10). Easy and light. Very refreshing; blended with a bit of garganega and chardonnay. Great match for summer food.

Villa Russiz 2007 Pinot Grigio (Collio, $34). Green apple, citrusy accent, zippy acidity, broad flavors, very refreshing, elegant beyond other PGs.

Vino dei Fratelli 2009 Pinot Grigio (Venezia, $11). Light, fresh, and appealing. Refreshing citrusy palate with lemon zest accents.

Addison is one of the country’s few Mobil 5-Star/AAA 5-Diamond restaurants, and anchors the Grand Del Mar Hotel in San Diego.  In addition to the 2500 bottle custom wine room in the middle of the dining room showcasing the best of Addison’s 37,000 bottles, Jesse Rodriguez offers an extensive selection of half- bottles from the world’s best regions.