One of the more exciting white wines to emerge in the last two years in Australia is Pinot Gris/ Pinot Grigio. This is the same grape with two names – Pinot Gris is French for ‘Gray Pinot’ and Pinot Grigio is the Italian name. However, while they are the same grape, they are quite different in style.
Pinot Gris is most famously found in Alsace in the north east of France on the border with Germany (hence its other name that is being phased out - Tokay d’Alsace), and tends to be (for France) a relatively big, smooth, round full-flavoured wine with higher alcohol level that gives the wine more weight.
In contrast, Pinot Grigio is a minerally, flinty dry wine that usually has a restrained nose, delicate pear and green apple fruit and a good acid structure with a clean long finish. Pinot Grigio is traditionally from Friuli in the northeast corner of Italy, on the border with Slovenia and Austria.
A few years ago if you asked for a Pinot Grigio or Gris you would probably get a puzzled look rather than a dry white, but this is starting to change. Most wine stores and good restaurants will have at least one Pinot Grigio or Gris.
While there are more examples becoming available in Australia as the varietal emerges, there is some confusion emerging as well. This is mostly due to the habit of most wine companies and consumers to use the two names to describe the two styles interchangeably. Further adding to the mix is that a few wine companies are producing a style that is sort of half way between the two (both high acid and high alcohol).
An example is the wonderful Seppelt ‘Coborra’ Pinot Gris from Drumborg in Victoria. This wine is more like a Grigio as it is so dry, flinty and clean, but is labelled Gris because that’s what they have called the vines since they were planted in the 1960’s! You can get this wine from Sixty Darling St. (02 9818 3077) at $25, less by the dozen.
One wine company that has not had difficulty separating the two styles is also one of the original producers to market the wine widely. T’Gallant from Mornington Peninsula in Victoria make both styles well and with distinctly different weight and flavours. You can get the T’Gallant Pinot Gris from Dan Murphy’s at $18.49
Pinot Grigio is a great wine to match with seafood as it is clean, dry and subtle, so it won’t overwhelm the delicate flavours of say, Tasmanian Scallops.
Pinot Gris goes well (surprisingly) with spicy Asian Food such as great Thai from Jimmy Lik’s in Sydney. I’m not sure why this works, as normally the weight and heat from the higher alcohol levels would clash with chilli and herbs, but it does!
If you have any queries, suggestions, or stories about wine, email: winefocus@theepochtimes.com.au
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