Italian pinot grigio or French pinot gris? Here’s how to choose a wine for you
Here’s your guide to picking a pinot grigio that suits your style – or should that be a pinot gris? Six classy wines will help you understand the flavour choices on offer.
What’s the difference between pinot gris and grigio? Nothing and everything.
If you’re well versed in this paradox, fast-forward down the page to six mouth-watering whites mainly in the pinot gris style – even if a couple are labelled pinot grigio.
Confused? Perhaps you better read on.
Pinot gris and grigio are the same grape, which is known as gris in France, where it originated, and grigio in Italy. The grape has a grey tinge (gris is grey in French) and is a close relative of pinot noir.
The style of wine crafted from gris in France – most commonly in the Alsace region – tends to be a rich, generously flavoured wine that shows apple, pear and tropical fruit characters, backed up with a burst of natural acidity to refresh the palate.
The mouthfeel is heavier than grigio because of the extra fruit sweetness. Some winemakers ferment the wine in barrels, which can add texture and a little spice, and some also experiment with skin contact, which gives the wine a golden-pink, copperish hue. These wines are more textural as tannins from the grape skins are imparted into the wine.
In Italy, pinot grigio is harvested earlier, creating wines that are lower in alcohol than the French style and lighter bodied, drier and crisper. The flavours tend to be more neutral but can be incredibly refreshing.
When it comes to food, grigio is a nice lunch partner with salads, antipasti, seafood and cold meats, while gris marries well with richer roast meats, creamy pastas and spicy Asian dishes.
The Australian Wine Club’s offer of the week puts together four gris and two grigio. The grigio, from Sicily and the Adelaide Hills, sit somewhere between that rich French gris style and the neutral Italian grigio.
If you are among the many Australians who have come to appreciate pinot gris during the past few years, this is a great opportunity to sample an array of styles for, as usual, an excellent price.
Exclusive to our line-up is the seductive Logan Love & Valour pinot gris from Orange. Winemaker Peter Logan is one of the innovators and pioneers behind the success of the Orange and Mudgee wine scenes in the NSW Central Ranges.
He chose the then unfamiliar regions as the base to build his wine enterprise 24 years ago and has always been driven by a philosophy to veer away from the usual path.
As he says, he planted “tempranillo, made pinot gris when few did, made gewurztraminer (people still don’t), created whimsical labels and stories, fermented white grapes on their skins, used large barrel oak, wild yeasts, and now even sells wine in kegs”.
The Love & Valour pinot gris is aptly named as I’m sure you’ll be charmed by its complex flavours and refreshing appeal.
Logan Love & Valour Orange Pinot Gris 2022
Some of the coldest vineyards in Australia, along with Logan’s flair for aromatics, have created a luscious, rich, pinot gris, with cooked quince, pear and orange peel aromatics. Generous flavours of mandarin, nashi pear and peach flow along a palate balanced with fresh acidity. Good length. A lovely drink, with or without food. 12.5% alc; RRP $24 a bottle.
SPECIALS $16.49 in any dozen; $16.49 in pinot gris dozen.
Tahbilk Estate Pinot Gris 2021
From one of the icons of Victorian wine comes a gris that greets with elevated aromas of nashi pear, citrus, almonds, honey and a touch of musk. Harvested at full ripeness for texture and palate-weight, emulating the classic French pinot gris style. Pears and lemons flow through, with flinty acidity providing a clean finish. Red star for exceptional value and 91 points from James Halliday. 13.5% alc; RRP $22 a bottle.
SPECIALS $18.99 in any dozen; $16.49 in pinot gris dozen.
Moss Brothers Moses Rock Margaret River Pinot Gris 2022
Tropical fruit aromas of pineapple, melon and lychee combine with red apple and subtle floral notes on the nose. Fresh and lively flavours of citrus, pear and apple zing across the palate with hints of cinnamon spice riding a straight line of acidity to a savoury finish. Six months in French oak. 13% alc; RRP $32 a bottle.
SPECIALS $19.99 in any dozen; $16.49 in pinot gris dozen.
Mountadam Vineyards Eden Valley Pinot Gris 2021
Located in the High Eden subregion of the Barossa, Mountadam produces highly aromatic whites from its cool-climate site. Apples, nashi pears, guava, nectarines and soft spice characters define this easy drinking beauty. A small portion of gewurztraminer in the blend adds a hint of Turkish delight to the flavour profile. Refreshing minerality on the finish; 92 points from Team Halliday. 12% alc; RRP $28 a bottle.
SPECIALS $20.99 in any dozen; $16.49 in pinot gris dozen.
Tomich Wines Woodside Vineyard Adelaide Hills Pinot Grigio 2021
This gold-medal winner takes the grigio name but shows lifted pears, nectarines and jasmine aromas. There’s a grigio crispness but zesty fruit flavours of pears and stone fruits flow through the palate. Elegant, with nice palate weight. Gold at the San Francisco International Wine Competition; 94 points from Team Halliday and Winestate magazine. 12.5% alc; RRP $25 a bottle.
SPECIALS $17.99 in any dozen; $16.49 in pinot gris dozen.
The fruit for this zingy grigio comes from the high hills of Sicily. Super-fresh tropical fruit, apples, peaches and pineapple on the nose introducing a textured palate with subtle tropical and citrus fruit flavours – and a touch of cinnamon. Order up a serve of spicy prawns or salt and pepper squid for the ultimate Saturday lunch treat. 12% alc; RRP $24 a bottle.
SPECIALS $14.99 in any dozen; $16.49 in pinot gris dozen.
PINOT GRIS DOZEN Two bottles of each wine above for $16.49 a dozen. SAVE $112 a dozen.
Order online or telephone 1300 765 359 Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm AEST. Deals are available only while stocks last. The Australian Wine Club is a commercial partnership with Laithwaites Wine, LIQP770016550.
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