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Pinot Grigio or is it gris?Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are becoming increasingly popular wines in Australia. You could argue that they are no longer alternative varieties, but have become mainstream. It is being used in most Australian wine regions, but it is especially suitable in the cooler regions, such as the Mornington Peninsula, Adelaide Hills, Yarra Valley or Tasmania.
Don't
be confused by the names
The names Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris mean Grey Pinot in Italian and French respectively. 'Pinot' refers to the characteristic pine cone shaped bunch of this group of varieties. This variety
closely is related to Pinot Noir variety and is believed to be a mutation
of Pinot Noir. In the vineyard Pinot Grigio vines are often difficult to distinguish
from its putative ancestor until the berries ripen when those of the Grigio
will have much less pigment. Other Pinot varieties include Pinot Blanc (Bianco in Italian) which
has little or no pigment in the berries, and Pinot Meunier, a red variety used for Champagne and red table wines.
'Pinot Chardonnay' is often on the label of Australian sparkling wines. It indicates a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
varieties were used to make the wine. When Chardonnay was introduced into Australia in the 1980s
it was sometimes called, incorrectly, "Pinot Chardonnay" There is considerable clonal variation within the variety, even the berry colour is variable. Jancis Robinson says that the variety hardly knows if it is a dark or a light grape. It has several synonyms including Burot and Malvoise in France and Rulander and Tokayer in Germany. In Europe
Pinot grigio is widely planted in France, Italy, Germany and Austria.
Given the inherent variation of this variety and its geographic
dispersion it is hardly surprising that a wide range of wine styles are
produced from it. In Alsace under the name of Tokay d'Alsace,
it produces a rich, almost oily wine. In Northern Italy the Pinot
Grigio's are light and even spritzig. Under the name of
Rulander in Germany it produces wines somewhat similar to white
Burgundies. Pinot grigio has attracted serious interest in Australia only over the past few years. It is now producing some remarkable wines in regions such as the Mornington Peninsula, Geelong and the Adelaide Hills. See below for a list of producers of Pinot grigio There is still a great deal of experimentation with the variety and it may take several more years before the optimal combination of terroir and winemaking technique emerges. In the meantime some great wines are already available for those who are looking for new experiences. The style varies from lightbodied and fairly straight forward (Pinot grigio) to rich and complex wines (Pinot gris) that are almost overwhelming in their voluptuousness. This is one occasion when reading tasting notes about a particular wine before buying is worthwhile. To find out more about Pinot Grigio you might use the search box below Pinot Gris in AustraliaScroll down in the table below to see some of the producers of Pinot grigio/pinot gris in Australia. If you know more, contact me via the link on the left.
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