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Pinot Gris
By Brenda Francis
This grape gets its name from its gray skin and because it is one of those mutants of the fussy pinot noir grape that actually makes good quality wine. Italians call it pinot grigio (pee-no gree-jee-o) and make a light-hearted, quaffable wine from it in mammoth proportions. Pinot grigio is the single largest category of wine exported from Italy, numbering into the millions of bottles.
The French call it pinot gris (pee-no gree) and regard it as a serious variety with a touch of stature. It is the Alsatian area of France, along the border of Germany, that cultivates this grape and vinifies it to regal heights. Alsatian wines are almost always bottled in a flute, which is a tall, thin, green bottle. Unlike other French wines, Alsatian labels lists the name of the grape, plain and simple on the front.
Both counties have their own style and the rest of the world pays homage to these styles when making wine from this grape. When you see an American producer use the name pinot grigio you can count on the wine being in the Italian style, bright, crisp, citrus-like, and simple. See the name pinot gris on the bottle and regard it as a more complex offering, layered with the same flavors the Italian versions offer, but with more intensity and a capability to age over a several years.
Both styles offer notes of lemon, lime, melon, pear, apple, fresh cut herbs, and white flowers. An Alsatian-like pinot gris from Washington or Oregon, for example, will be exotic and luscious, while a Californian pinot grigio will be refreshing and less serious.
Use these styles as a gauge when shopping for pinot gris. Remember, even though the bottle from Alsace looks like a German wine, like the Italian version, it is fermented totally dry.
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