Pinot Grigio

You Say, "Potato," and I Say, "Pinot Grigio"

In the majority of the great wide wine world, this grape varietal is called Pinot Gris. In Italy, this white wine grape is called Pinot Grigio. Gris in French means "gray." If you are British and having a glass of either an Italian Pinot Grigio or a Pinot Gris from Oregon, both would mean "grey." As one might surmise, in France or Italy the gray label has been affixed to this Pinot mutant grape due to its bluish-gray, yellowish-gray, or just plain gray hue. This is one of those ubiquitous grape varietals that can be found in almost every wine-producing country. Oddly, it also uses other aliases. In Germany it goes by Rulander, in France's Loire it may go by Malvoisie or Pinot Beurot, and in Alsace it is referred to as, Tokay d'Alsace. In Hungary it's Szukerbarat. No doubt there's some place on earth where it is called Potato.

The Italian Style

It would be great to say that the Italian version of Pinot Grigio represents the pinnacle wine of this varietal. Alas, but Que Non or, Nicht. An Alsatian Tokay leans towards a more opulent, honeyed, softly perfumed version that can be dense with minerals, creaminess, and a refined structure. In Germany, the Rulander or Grauerburgunder make big wines with excellent flavor. In Oregon it goes by the Pinot Gris tag, and they are solid white wines with seductive appeal of spiciness, aromatics, and melon or pear fruit flavors. For the most part, Italy's pale straw-colored Pinot Grigio is often described as innocuous and one has to dig deep to find a descriptive adjective for this indistinct white wine. It's the wallflower at the dance who never quite works up the nerve to ask someone to dance. On the positive side, Pinot Grigios are dry whites with crisp acidity that easily accompany food and are quite popular. This acidic characteristic may be attributed to the Italian practice of harvesting the varietal prior to full ripening in an effort to preserve maximum flavor. On occasions a good rendition will be deliberate, with focused minerals, floral, and bright with citrus or stonefruit flavors to spare. But Pinot Grigio more often than not will disappoint rather than soar to an elevated plane. At best this nondescript Italian white is an easy-quaffing wine that doesn't cause much distraction. In the country of Versace, Ferragamo, Lamborghini, the Colosseum, and Michelangelo, that alone is quite a distinction.

The Tre-Venezie

Pinot Grigio is grown all over Italy, from the north at the foot of the Alps down to the sole of the boot and into Sicily. However, in general Italy's northeast is the region to find Pinot Grigio, and the bulk of it is spread out in the Tre-Venezie region that includes Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, and the Veneto. This region is known for its stylish white wines, dominated by Soave but including other varietals such as Pinot Bianco, Tocai Friulano, Sauvignon Blanc, Prosecco, and Chardonnay. The region is heavily planted with Pinot Grigio and while seemingly a varietal with meager personality, the wine is one of Italy's most popular. Friuli-Venezia Giulia is a wine region to the northeast of Venezie, and it is geographically closer to Austria and Germany than Roma. Noteworthy Pinot Grigios can be found in the DOC of Collio Goriziano located on the border of Slovenia. This region has the tendency to produce exceptional white wines of distinction. If Pinot Grigio shines anywhere, it is in this region.

Cursed with Popularity

If you know a wine snob or have pretensions to be one, Pinot Grigio is one of the most widely sneered at wines in the world. It offends by virtue of not trying, by not being assertive, and by being less than vanilla. Yet, it is probably the most popular imported wine in the U.S. How can that be? If so popular, why no respect? The answer lies in its easy access, bulk production, low cost, high yields, mass marketing, and distribution. The wine may not garner accolades from the wine critics but from a businessperson's perspective it's an excellent wine. But perhaps its success can be attributed to something less quantifiable, the innate pleasure to say, PEE-noh GREEG-e-o.. That's a one-ton weight of fun compared to the alternative choices of SO-vin-yawn-BLONK or Guh-VERTZ-tra-meener.

Food Matches

Pinot Grigio's saving grace is its bone-dry and sprightly acidity that makes it a natural companion to seafood, particularly shellfish, fowl, light pastas, and cheese. Depending on the acidity of the wine, it would be best to avoid high acid foods, pastas with tomato sauce or citrus. Serve well-chilled.

Related Links

• Italian Wine
• French Wine
• Oregon Wine
• Food and Wine Pairing