Originating from Alsace in the guise of Pinot Gris, today the popular white wine Pinot Grigio (as named by the Italians) is more widely produced in a number of countries including Italy, France, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States it is grown primarily in Oregon although California has put out an increasing number of samples in recent years. Pinot Grigio is second only to Chardonnay in capital and consumption. Often characterised by a dry, light style featuring subtle citrus fruit and refreshing acidity (although there’s more distinct fruitiness in warmer producing areas) its success has also given rise to some savoury Pinot Grigio Rosés. Having risen in popularity over and above Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc in recent years, Pinot Grigio is increasingly the wine-drinker’s white wine of choice in bars and restaurants.
Thought to be a clone of the Pinot Noir grape as discovered by Californian researchers, Pinot Grigio fruit is usually slate-blue and grows in small conical clusters, thus providing its name (“Pinot Gris” is French for “Grey Pinecone”). Just to throw you, however, it can be brownish pink to black or even white in colour, and the wines it produces vary from deep golden yellow tones to copper and blush colours. A true chameleon, it makes wines of different styles and even different names depending on the region. It blends well with Chardonnay to intensify the taste and is often added to Italy’s sparkling alternative to champagne – Prosecco. When Pinot Noir is added, the flavours, finesse and body of the wine are wonderfully enhanced.
Wines made from Pinot Gris grapes differ greatly according to the region in which they are produced. The true home of Pinot Gris is Northern Italy where popular and reasonably priced light to medium bodied Pinot Grigio wines offer subtle white fruit and a cheeky spiciness. The mass produced varieties of Pinot Grigio can be bland and lacking in personality, but this is not the case with some of the more serious North Eastern producers. The most notable Italian styles are produced in private estates in Friuli, a region renowned for producing the best white wine in the country. Viticulturalists there give Pinot Grigio due respect as it well deserves, producing medium to full bodied wines with concentrated flavours offering a suggestion of peaches. Although undoubtedly worth more, such refinement doesn’t come cheap, and in a market that expects Pinot Grigios to be more affordable than most, they are harder to sell.
The Alsatian variety Tokay Pinot Gris (also known locally as Tokay d’Alsace, a name not approved by the EEC due to its similarity with Hungary’s Tokaji variety) has evolved into a more intense and fuller bodied wine that complements Alsace’s strong flavoured cuisine in a way in which you might expect from a ripe, fruity red. The clay rich soils in the North of the region yield richly honeyed, dry whites and sweet late harvest wines. Combine the intoxicating aromas of Gewürztraminer with the acidity of a Riesling and you’ll have the best Pinot Grigio that develops an intense buttery character with age.
The earliest reports of Pinot Gris were recorded during the Middle Ages in the Burgundy region, where it is thought to have been known as Fromenteau. Along with Pinot Noir its planting spread Eastwards to Switzerland in 1300 and became a favoured grape of the Emperor Charles IV, who imported cuttings for his Cistercian monks to cultivate in Hungary in 1375. At this time the vine became known as “grey monk.” A German merchant discovered the grape in 1711 and produced a wine called Ruländer, which was later traced to be Pinot Grigio. Although it continued to be a popular vine to cultivate in Burgundy and Champagne, poor yields caused it to fall from favour in the 18th and 19th centuries. Germany’s crop managed to avoid this by developing clones of the vine that produced better consistency. The Pinot Grigio grape grows best in cooler climates, and matures relatively early with high sugar levels, which can produce either a sweeter wine, or a dry wine with a high alcohol content if it is fermented long enough. It is also known as an early-to-market wine, since it is possible to bottle and distribute it within 12 weeks after fermentation, although these speedily bottled wines are best consumed within two years.
In 2008, Pinot Grigio made impressive ground on market share, comparing well with the increases shown by Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc over the same period. By all accounts, although Chardonnay remains the most popular white in the UK – due to its lighter, cleaner and unoaked style – Pinot Grigio is not far behind in the stakes and catching up fast.
{ 2 trackbacks }