One Grape: Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio - But Many Shades of Grey
So many styles, so little time!
The Pinot Gris grape is a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape and originated in France's Burgundy region. Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio are two different names for the same grape. The words "gris" and "grigio", meaning grey in French and Italian respectively, refer to the grape’s blueish grey or brownish pink skin color. This pigmentation makes it possible to make white or rosé wines.
While the wine is named Pinot Gris in France and Pinot Grigio in Italy, outside these countries these names represent the styles of each wine. They range from light and neutral to full, fruity, and complex. The latter style is achieved through lees ageing (a process allowing contact between the wine and the spent yeast cells after fermentation), adding texture and flavors like bready pastry, cheese, and yogurt.
Pinot Gris style
Pinot Gris eventually left Burgundy and found a new home in Alsace, a region in Northeast France. Alsace Pinot Gris wines range from dry to sweet, and have medium to full body with ginger and tropical fruit flavors. Highly regarded age worthy versions have honeyed and smoky notes and a rich oily texture.
Australia, New Zealand, California, Oregon, Canada, and Germany produce dry to off-dry Pinot Gris wines with medium to full body. In Germany the wine is labelled Grauburgunder, meaning “grey from burgundy” in German. New Zealand also produces a wine with medium-dry sweetness.
Overall, Pinot Gris covers a wide spectrum of white wines and sweet styles, or many Shades of Grey! (Get it?) The exception is the dry minerally style, which is where the Pinot Grigio comes into play! See past post: Let’s talk style – wine styles!
Pinot Grigio style
Pinot Grigio is the most grown white grape in Italy. It produces dry wines that are light to medium bodied and a rather neutral flavor profile. Typical flavors of Pinot Grigio are soft citrus and green apple. Most wines come from Northeast Italy, where wines from the Venezia region tend to have a more neutral taste and those from Alto Adige have more character. Compared to Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio wines are simpler and less crisp.
Australia also produces wines in the Pinot Grigio style, along with the Pinot Gris styles mentioned earlier.
Here are different wines to demonstrate three styles - serve them at ~10 degrees Celsius. The Illahe wines below are different vintages as Calgary wine stores are currently carrying either 2021 or 2022 vintage - this is a sneak peek for next week’s post
Illahe Pinot Gris 2021* from Willamette Valley in Oregon
Style: Full body white wine
This expressive wine has great balance between the acidity and texture, and a long finish of yellow fruit (lemon, peach, apricot), lees aging flavors (graham crackers, pastry, and cheese) and ends on a mineral note. Ideal pairings are fish, white meats, and cheese.
Price: ~$32 - $36
Illahe Pinot Gris 2022* from Willamette Valley in Oregon
Style: Medium body white wine
This crisp wine has more tartness and less texture than the 2021 vintage while still having a long finish. Also different is the fruit flavor profile of creamy lemon curd, tart lemon, pear, green and yellow apples, while the lees aging flavors (graham crackers, pastry, and cheese) and the mineral finale remain. Ideal pairings are fish and white meats dishes emphasizing lemon such as lemon chicken, or a salad with tart lemon vinaigrette or a salade niçoise.
Price: ~$32 - $36
Note: These wines have a wax dab at the top of the cork instead of a metal bottle capsule like on the Giusti bottle in the picture below. You can penetrate the wax with a corkscrew without concern and use the corkscrew as normal. If using a Coravin, remove the wax with a sturdy knife or flathead screwdriver.
*click link for stores where wine is available in Alberta, Canada while quantities last. Stores currently carrying either the 2021 or the 2022 vintages.
Giusti Longheri Pinot Grigio 2022** from Venezia, Italy.
Style: Dry minerally white wine
Variety: Pinot Grigio
Dry, medium bodied wine with delicate citrus and green apple flavors and notes of pear on the palate. This wine can be served as an aperitif or paired with salads or light flavored fish and poultry dishes.
Price: $~18 - $21
**click link for stores where wine is available in Alberta, Canada while quantities last.
Acknowledgment:
Robinson, J. (2015) The oxford companion to wine. 4th rev. ed. Corby: Oxford University Press.
Wine & Spirit Education Trust (2021) D3: Wines of the World - An accompaniment to the WSET Level 4 Diploma in Wines. Version 1.2. London: Wine & Spirit Education Trust.
Just had the Terlan Pinot Grigio. A fav style