Pinot Grigio, or Pinot Gris, can be a sweet wine, but it actually has three types of taste profiles:
- Fruity and Dry (a dry wine is not considered sweet)
- Fruity and Sweet (this would be called an off-dry or sweet wine)
- Mineral and Dry (crisp and clean with no sweet notes)
Pinot Grigio is the second most popular wine in the US, after Chardonnay, of course. We love Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris because they’re light and easy to pair with a wide range of foods.
But what’s the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris? If we’re just talking names, absolutely nothing except the language in which they’re written. But the two wines do have some taste differences, even though they are made from the same grape. Pinot Grigio from California tends to be made in the Italian style and leans more towards a crisp, clean profile. Pinot Gris, the French style, tends to have more ripe flavors of tropical fruits and notes of ginger and honey.
In our version of Pinot Grigio you’ll get a little bit of both French and Italian influence. Ours is off-dry with gorgeous stone-fruit, floral and honey notes and a slightly sweet finish.
ACIDITY
Medium
SERVING TEMPERATURE
Ice Cold, 45 ºF (7 ºC)
SIMILAR VARIETIES
Albariño, Chenin Blanc, Pinot Blanc, Unoaked Chardonnay
BLENDING
Winemakers often blend Pinot Grigio with other grapes like Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Gruner Veltliner, Muscat, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viogner.
FUN FACT
In France, Pinot Gris used to be called Tokay d’Alsace and was made with 100% Pinot Gris grapes from Alcace and Burgundy. But as of 2007, the name Tokay can only be used on grapes grown in the Tokay region of Hungary.