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Pinot Grigio

Pinot Gris, called Pinot Grigio in Italy, is a white variant-clone of the red grape Pinot Noir. The Italian region of Friuli produces the best Pinot Grigio in a crisp, refreshing style. Other Italian regions produce it too but it can be over-cropped and taste insipid. Benchmark Pinot Gris is best known from Alsace, France, where it’s known as Tokay d'Alsace (unrelated to Hungarian Tokay), and produces a full-bodied wine. In Oregon, vintners are shifting away from Chardonnay to produce a lively style of Pinot Gris.

Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio have delicate floral and citrus aromas such as lemon, lime, pear, melon and green apple. When oaked, they have notes of vanilla, almond, toast and smoke. Depending on how they’re made, they can be light- to medium-bodied with a tangy acidity or be more full-bodied with a rich, voluptuous texture. They’re usually made in a bone-dry style, unoaked and unblended. The wine generally has a light straw color that may have a pink or salmon tinge.

Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio make terrific aperitifs before a meal. Pair them with potato salad, liver paté, brie, camembert, chicken tangine, duck, turkey, quiche, Chinese, Indian, and Thai dishes, Tex-Mex, risotto with mushrooms, cheese pizza, pork, clam chowder, fried shrimp, clams, oysters, smoked fish, breaded veal cutlets, tomato and mozzarella salad.