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Pinot Gris, also widely known by its Italian name of Pinot Grigio (both Gris and Grigio meaning “grey”) is a white-wine grape originating in the Burgundy region of France. Though it is basically the same grape under both names, the stylings associated with each name are rather different—so much so as to effectively be two different varieties, as we will soon see. The grape is another of the several mutations from Pinot Noir, which is famously unstable genetically; as a recognized variety, it goes back to the early middle ages (by 1300, it had already travelled to Switzerland). Today, it is widely considered one of the dozen and a half or so “Noble wine grapes” of the world.
Both Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are today widely made across the wine-producing world, producing oceans of bland, indistinguishable plonk and the occasional bottling of more interest. To many casual wine drinkers, those variety names have become loose synonyms for any vague white wine. That is a shame, because the grape, treated with care, can do much better.
The “Pinot Gris” styling of the grape tends at its best toward a characteristically Alsatian round, fairly rich, almost creamy style, wherein the acidity is not dominant and the alcohol is low. The “Pinot Grigio” styling, conversely, emphasizes acidity and crispness, has a bit more alcohol, and is generally “leaner” and less fruit-forward than the Alsatian style. Neither is inherently better than the other: they simply fill different niches. It is best, as we remarked above, to consider them as two different wine types; and the name under which the wine is marketed is normally a reliable clue to its style.
In the U.S., it is the “Pinot Grigio” style that accounts for most of the dire plonk; wines labelled “Pinot Gris” are not thereby automatically better, but because that is not the more faddy name, you have better odds. But, as you will see below, the majority of introductory material about this grape tends to be aimed at folk who recognize it as “Pinot Grigio”.
(The grape is also fairly widely known in Germany under the synonym “Ruländer”; but that use usually—though not invariably—denotes a sweet wine.)
Factoid: The grape was reportedly a favorite of the Emperor Charles IV, who had cuttings imported to Hungary by Cistercian monks: the brothers planted the vines on the slopes of Badacsony bordering Lake Balaton in 1375. The vine soon after developed the name Szürkebarát meaning “grey monk”.
“Pinot gris is grown across the globe with the ‘spicy’ full-bodied Alsatian and lighter-bodied, more acidic Italian styles being most widely recognized. The Alsatian style, often duplicated in New World wine regions such as Marlborough [New Zealand], Tasmania, Australia, Washington, and Oregon, tend to have moderate to low acidity, higher alcohol levels and an almost ‘oily’ texture that contributes to the full-bodied nature of the wine. The flavors can range from ripe tropical fruit notes of melon and mango to some botrytis-influenced flavors…Wines made from the Pinot gris vary greatly and are dependent on the region and wine making style they are from. Alsatian Pinot gris are medium to full bodied wines with a rich, somewhat floral bouquet. They tend to be spicy in comparisons with other Pinot gris. While most Pinot gris are meant to be consumed early, Alsatian Pinot gris can age well. German Pinot gris are more full-bodied with a balance of acidity and slight sweetness. In Oregon the wines are medium bodied with a yellow to copper-pink color and aromas of pear, apple, and/or melon. In California, the Pinot gris are more light bodied with a crisp, refreshing taste with some pepper and arugula notes…Pinot gris is considered an ‘early to market wine’ that can be bottled and out on the market within 4 - 12 weeks after fermentation”
“In general, Pinot Grigio is a light-bodied, high-acid, delicate white, although the top producers turn out wines that have more of everything: more intense aromas, flavor and weight—though no Pinot Grigio is ever as rich and full-bodied as a Pinot Gris, the French wine made with the same grape. Yet the Italians dominate by virtue of amount: There's a lot more Grigio than Gris. This is one of the problems of Pinot Grigio, as a wine produced in mass quantities is by definition of little interest to connoisseurs…Then there’s the matter of all those truly ‘innocuous’ and ‘uninteresting’ wines. How many are there? Well, in the course of one month I probably tasted close to 60 Pinot Grigios and found that two-thirds could be described using those words. On the other hand, the other one-third of the wines were actually quite good.”
“The primary fruit flavors in Pinot Grigio are lime, lemon, pear, white nectarine and apple. Depending on where the grapes are grown, Pinot Grigio can take on faint honeyed notes; floral aromas like honeysuckle; and a saline-like minerality. Pinot Grigio doesn’t have a strikingly unique flavor the way Moscato or Riesling do, but it does offer a refreshing twinkle of acidity and a weighty feeling on the middle of your tongue – like licking wax paper. Stump the Sommelier Pinot Gris is a commonly feared grape variety in Sommelier Blind-Tasting Exams. Many wine experts identify Pinot Gris through the characteristics it doesn’t have.
Italian Pinot Grigio Usually totally dry with brilliant acidity with a bitter almond note.
French Pinot Gris Fleshy and more unctuous with faint honey notes from botrytis.
American Pinot Grigio Often with more exaggerated fruit flavors and with less acidity than European counterparts.
Pinot Grigio often tastes less sweet than Chardonnay because of high acidity. There are two examples where Pinot Grigio is sweet. One example is cheap supermarket Pinot Grigio designed to woo mid-week wine drinkers. The second (and considerably more rare) are the slightly sweet Pinot Gris from Alsace.”
“Pinot Grigio is the same grape as Pinot Gris, which is grown in a medium-bodied style in Alsace, California and Oregon…It is important to understand that although Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape, they are capable of producing a variety of white wines in a number of different winegrowing areas…Along with an abundance of citrus fruit, Pinot Gris offers additional complex flavors of tree fruits and even hints of almond. This is mostly to do with the soil and climate in which they are grown.”
“Pinot Grigio flavors can range from melon to pear and some even offer a subtle tropical or citrus fruit, often there is a honey or smoky flavor component as well. As for color, Pinot Grigio is typically a pale, straw-like yellow with some golden hues thrown in. The texture of a Pinot Grigio is worth noting, as it has very smooth, almost silk-like overtones that leave an impression on the palate.”
“As for the Pinot Gris style, I am truly an ardent Alsace fan. Alsace Pinot Gris wines show incredible richness, breadth across the palate, earthy minerality and terroir. Outside the motherland, I have also come to really love Oregon Pinot Gris, which in many ways combines the richness and texture of the Alsace style with the more vibrant fruitiness of the Italy style.”
“Flavors and aromas vary greatly from region to region, and from style to style, but commonly feature notes of pears, apples, stone fruit, sweet spices and even a hint of smoke or wet wool. Most winemakers avoid obvious oak character in their Pinot Gris, but some use older barrels (which leave less oak flavor in the wine) for fermentation. For weightier, more complex styles of Pinot Gris, lees contact and partial malolactic fermentation are commonly used…Pinot Gris grapes are naturally low in acidity and high in sugars, so the finest Pinot Gris wines come from the world's cooler viticultural regions; those from warmer climates tend to lack acidity and structure and can be overbearingly alcoholic. Europe’s showcase examples come from vineyards on either side of the Rhine river, from Baden and Pfalz in Germany and particularly Alsace in France…Of the ‘New World’ wine regions, the variety is doing well in the United States (most notably Oregon but also Washington and California) and New Zealand. New World producers have recognized and respected the distinction between the Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio styles, and typically label their wines accordingly (lighter, drier versions as Pinot Grigio, while sweeter or richer styles as Pinot Gris).”
“At its best, in Alsace, where it’s usually called Tokay Pinot Gris, the wines are extremely rich and honeyed, in either a dry, or just off-dry style. Characteristic flavors include peach, apricots, tropical fruits, and spices. In Oregon, Pinot Gris is usually dry, with few examples seeing much in the way of oak. Alsace Pinot Gris: The third grape in Alsace’s holy trinity, Pinot Gris is far more likely to produce a fat, oily, even viscous wine than a racy, high-pitched drink. Pinot Gris (also known as Pinot Grigio), is characterized by rather exotic aromas and flavors of peach and apricot, tropical fruits, orange peel, butter, nut oil, smoked meat, spices, earth, and honey…In the hands of some producers, they are among the richest white wines of France. Pinot Gris is a versatile food wine well matches to the rich cuisine of the region – it’s frequently paired not only with pates and foie gras, rich fish prepartations and white meats, but even with red meat dishes. Oregon Pinot Gris: Outside of the cool, hilly Alto Adige region of northeast Italy, no other region produces as many fresh, elegant examples of Pinot Gris (called Pinot Grigio in Italy) as Oregon. Unlike the weightier, spicier, and more flamboyantly ripe examples from Alsace, Oregon Pinot Gris is usually fermented to complete dryness, and few examples see much in the way of oak. Instead, the top producers make brisk, highly aromatic, light-to medium-bodied wines that emphasize clean orchard fruits such as apple, pear, and peach, often with citrus elements as well. These wines are normally best consumed within a couple years of the vintage for their fresh fruit; they are excellent choices with a range of warm-weather fare and go especially well with light, fresh seafood preparations. Pinot Gris rather than Chardonnay is the flagship white wine for many Oregon producers – a smart move in light of the popularity of these wines.”
“Pinot Gris’ most popular and successful region is Alsace, France, an area of the country that actually puts the name of the grape on the label.…But wines from other regions usually term their wine Pinot Gris or Grigio based on the wine’s flavor profile. Pinot Gris from Alsace creates rich, stone fruit-laden wines. They are perfumed and aromatic, and typically dry. It has round body and medium acidity. Take the grape a bit south to Italy, and it creates a very crisp, high-acid, citrus noted wine. Both are flavorful, but wine named Pinot Gris typically provides more body and rounder fruits while Pinot Grigio gives lighter-bodied, citrus fruits. Oregon and California are also growing the grape, Oregon having success with a more Alsacian style and California producing both. Winemakers often call the wine by the style they wish to replicate…for the Alsacian style, look for Pinot Gris…Common Descriptors: peach, pear, floral, citrus.”
“Pinot Gris from the Alsace region of France is typically rich and often sweet, with rich, spicy tropical fruit aromas…Outside of these specific areas, the name vintners will use on the label is mostly a stylistic decision (as with naming a wine Syrah or Shiraz when it comes from neither France nor Australia), so they will usually select the name that best fits the style they’re going for, Alsatian or Italian.”
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Some Descriptions of Pinot Gris Wines
“Pinot gris is grown across the globe with the ‘spicy’ full-bodied Alsatian and lighter-bodied, more acidic Italian styles being most widely recognized. The Alsatian style, often duplicated in New World wine regions such as Marlborough [New Zealand], Tasmania, Australia, Washington, and Oregon, tend to have moderate to low acidity, higher alcohol levels and an almost ‘oily’ texture that contributes to the full-bodied nature of the wine. The flavors can range from ripe tropical fruit notes of melon and mango to some botrytis-influenced flavors…Wines made from the Pinot gris vary greatly and are dependent on the region and wine making style they are from. Alsatian Pinot gris are medium to full bodied wines with a rich, somewhat floral bouquet. They tend to be spicy in comparisons with other Pinot gris. While most Pinot gris are meant to be consumed early, Alsatian Pinot gris can age well. German Pinot gris are more full-bodied with a balance of acidity and slight sweetness. In Oregon the wines are medium bodied with a yellow to copper-pink color and aromas of pear, apple, and/or melon. In California, the Pinot gris are more light bodied with a crisp, refreshing taste with some pepper and arugula notes…Pinot gris is considered an ‘early to market wine’ that can be bottled and out on the market within 4 - 12 weeks after fermentation”
“In general, Pinot Grigio is a light-bodied, high-acid, delicate white, although the top producers turn out wines that have more of everything: more intense aromas, flavor and weight—though no Pinot Grigio is ever as rich and full-bodied as a Pinot Gris, the French wine made with the same grape. Yet the Italians dominate by virtue of amount: There's a lot more Grigio than Gris. This is one of the problems of Pinot Grigio, as a wine produced in mass quantities is by definition of little interest to connoisseurs…Then there’s the matter of all those truly ‘innocuous’ and ‘uninteresting’ wines. How many are there? Well, in the course of one month I probably tasted close to 60 Pinot Grigios and found that two-thirds could be described using those words. On the other hand, the other one-third of the wines were actually quite good.”
“The primary fruit flavors in Pinot Grigio are lime, lemon, pear, white nectarine and apple. Depending on where the grapes are grown, Pinot Grigio can take on faint honeyed notes; floral aromas like honeysuckle; and a saline-like minerality. Pinot Grigio doesn’t have a strikingly unique flavor the way Moscato or Riesling do, but it does offer a refreshing twinkle of acidity and a weighty feeling on the middle of your tongue – like licking wax paper. Stump the Sommelier Pinot Gris is a commonly feared grape variety in Sommelier Blind-Tasting Exams. Many wine experts identify Pinot Gris through the characteristics it doesn’t have.
Italian Pinot Grigio Usually totally dry with brilliant acidity with a bitter almond note.
French Pinot Gris Fleshy and more unctuous with faint honey notes from botrytis.
American Pinot Grigio Often with more exaggerated fruit flavors and with less acidity than European counterparts.
Pinot Grigio often tastes less sweet than Chardonnay because of high acidity. There are two examples where Pinot Grigio is sweet. One example is cheap supermarket Pinot Grigio designed to woo mid-week wine drinkers. The second (and considerably more rare) are the slightly sweet Pinot Gris from Alsace.”
“Pinot Grigio is the same grape as Pinot Gris, which is grown in a medium-bodied style in Alsace, California and Oregon…It is important to understand that although Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape, they are capable of producing a variety of white wines in a number of different winegrowing areas…Along with an abundance of citrus fruit, Pinot Gris offers additional complex flavors of tree fruits and even hints of almond. This is mostly to do with the soil and climate in which they are grown.”
“Pinot Grigio flavors can range from melon to pear and some even offer a subtle tropical or citrus fruit, often there is a honey or smoky flavor component as well. As for color, Pinot Grigio is typically a pale, straw-like yellow with some golden hues thrown in. The texture of a Pinot Grigio is worth noting, as it has very smooth, almost silk-like overtones that leave an impression on the palate.”
“As for the Pinot Gris style, I am truly an ardent Alsace fan. Alsace Pinot Gris wines show incredible richness, breadth across the palate, earthy minerality and terroir. Outside the motherland, I have also come to really love Oregon Pinot Gris, which in many ways combines the richness and texture of the Alsace style with the more vibrant fruitiness of the Italy style.”
“Flavors and aromas vary greatly from region to region, and from style to style, but commonly feature notes of pears, apples, stone fruit, sweet spices and even a hint of smoke or wet wool. Most winemakers avoid obvious oak character in their Pinot Gris, but some use older barrels (which leave less oak flavor in the wine) for fermentation. For weightier, more complex styles of Pinot Gris, lees contact and partial malolactic fermentation are commonly used…Pinot Gris grapes are naturally low in acidity and high in sugars, so the finest Pinot Gris wines come from the world's cooler viticultural regions; those from warmer climates tend to lack acidity and structure and can be overbearingly alcoholic. Europe’s showcase examples come from vineyards on either side of the Rhine river, from Baden and Pfalz in Germany and particularly Alsace in France…Of the ‘New World’ wine regions, the variety is doing well in the United States (most notably Oregon but also Washington and California) and New Zealand. New World producers have recognized and respected the distinction between the Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio styles, and typically label their wines accordingly (lighter, drier versions as Pinot Grigio, while sweeter or richer styles as Pinot Gris).”
“At its best, in Alsace, where it’s usually called Tokay Pinot Gris, the wines are extremely rich and honeyed, in either a dry, or just off-dry style. Characteristic flavors include peach, apricots, tropical fruits, and spices. In Oregon, Pinot Gris is usually dry, with few examples seeing much in the way of oak. Alsace Pinot Gris: The third grape in Alsace’s holy trinity, Pinot Gris is far more likely to produce a fat, oily, even viscous wine than a racy, high-pitched drink. Pinot Gris (also known as Pinot Grigio), is characterized by rather exotic aromas and flavors of peach and apricot, tropical fruits, orange peel, butter, nut oil, smoked meat, spices, earth, and honey…In the hands of some producers, they are among the richest white wines of France. Pinot Gris is a versatile food wine well matches to the rich cuisine of the region – it’s frequently paired not only with pates and foie gras, rich fish prepartations and white meats, but even with red meat dishes. Oregon Pinot Gris: Outside of the cool, hilly Alto Adige region of northeast Italy, no other region produces as many fresh, elegant examples of Pinot Gris (called Pinot Grigio in Italy) as Oregon. Unlike the weightier, spicier, and more flamboyantly ripe examples from Alsace, Oregon Pinot Gris is usually fermented to complete dryness, and few examples see much in the way of oak. Instead, the top producers make brisk, highly aromatic, light-to medium-bodied wines that emphasize clean orchard fruits such as apple, pear, and peach, often with citrus elements as well. These wines are normally best consumed within a couple years of the vintage for their fresh fruit; they are excellent choices with a range of warm-weather fare and go especially well with light, fresh seafood preparations. Pinot Gris rather than Chardonnay is the flagship white wine for many Oregon producers – a smart move in light of the popularity of these wines.”
“Pinot Gris’ most popular and successful region is Alsace, France, an area of the country that actually puts the name of the grape on the label.…But wines from other regions usually term their wine Pinot Gris or Grigio based on the wine’s flavor profile. Pinot Gris from Alsace creates rich, stone fruit-laden wines. They are perfumed and aromatic, and typically dry. It has round body and medium acidity. Take the grape a bit south to Italy, and it creates a very crisp, high-acid, citrus noted wine. Both are flavorful, but wine named Pinot Gris typically provides more body and rounder fruits while Pinot Grigio gives lighter-bodied, citrus fruits. Oregon and California are also growing the grape, Oregon having success with a more Alsacian style and California producing both. Winemakers often call the wine by the style they wish to replicate…for the Alsacian style, look for Pinot Gris…Common Descriptors: peach, pear, floral, citrus.”
“Pinot Gris from the Alsace region of France is typically rich and often sweet, with rich, spicy tropical fruit aromas…Outside of these specific areas, the name vintners will use on the label is mostly a stylistic decision (as with naming a wine Syrah or Shiraz when it comes from neither France nor Australia), so they will usually select the name that best fits the style they’re going for, Alsatian or Italian.”