Pinot Noir is a red grape, pinot gris is a pink grape (check out the photo below) and pinot blanc is a white grape. All three grapes are identical according to their DNA fingerprint. Pinot noir has been around for such a long time (around 2000 years) that it has morphed into many different forms.
No-one would mistake a glass of pinot noir for a glass of pinot gris for the simple reason that one is red and the other white. Pinot noir gets its colour from its red grape skins. Like all red wine, the grapes are picked and crushed into a slurry before being fermented. The heat and forming of alcohol in the wine helps to leach the colour from the skins. On day one you have a rosé, on day two a light red wine, and on day seven or eight you get a deeper red wine.
Like most white wines, pinot gris is made by pressing the juice from freshly picked grapes and fermenting it slowly in a chilled tank. But pinot gris (unlike sauvignon blanc, riesling or gewürztraminer) is not a very flavoursome grape. To boost flavour, winemakers often let the juice and grape skins ‘soak up’ together.
But that process also extracts tannins, which can make the wine taste slightly astringent. No problem, a little astringency can be masked by leaving a touch of sweetness in the wine. We do the same thing when we add a teaspoonful of sugar to make a cup of tea taste less astringent. For that reason most pinot gris is at least slightly sweet.
Gris vs grigio
There are two well-understood and internationally accepted styles of pinot gris. The first is pinot gris from Alsace in the northeast of France, and the other is pinot grigio from the northeast of Italy (slightly different names for the same grape variety). Alsace pinot gris tends to be quite rich and full-bodied with lots of flavour (pear, apple, honeysuckle) and often some spiciness. Italian pinot grigio is typically dry, light-bodied and tastes of not much at all.
Alsace pinot gris is hailed as being the benchmark for the variety. Most New Zealand pinot gris is styled after the Alsace model because our climate and soils allow us to make a pretty good imitation of the French wine and because pinot gris has a higher perception of value (translation: wineries can charge more) than pinot grigio.
I call Italian pinot grigio “cafe wine” because it’s the sort of wine you can drink at any time with just about any food. That makes it ideal for a cafe house wine. I like pinot grigio because it is an uncomplicated wine that doesn’t demand much of my attention. As the Italians say, it is “non impegnativo”.
It’s not all black and white though. Some wines conform to the pinot grigio style, while others are obviously closer to the French model – but there’s a blurry line in the middle.
Know your pinot gris
The Australian Wine Research Institute (AWRI) has developed a unique way of classifying different styles of pinot gris: a scale from one (pure pinot grigio) to nine (classic pinot gris)
Style 1 – Pure pinot grigio. Crisp, lean and racy
Style 2 – Dry, tangy and vibrant
Style 3 – Lively fresh and zesty
Style 4 – Fruity, elegant and refreshing
Style 5 – Stylish, soft and supple
Style 6 – Full, round and silky
Style 7 – Velvety, generous and richly textured
Style 8 – Powerful, warm and sumptuous
Style 9 – Pure pinot gris. Luscious, opulent and rich
Words by: Bob Campbell. Photography by: Alana Landsberry/bauersyndication.com.au, One Shot.
This article was first published in Taste magazine.
Follow Taste on Facebook, Instagram and sign up to their e-newsletter.
.jpg?ssl=1&w=380&crop=0,0,100,304px)
