|
Pinot Gris is a white wine grape with a skin ranging in color from pale orange to almost black, depending on the clone and the growing conditions. The wines produced from this grape may be pale green through to a golden or copper color depending on the age and style of the wine in question. As its name implies, Pinot Gris is a member of the mutation-happy 'Pinot' family; it is in fact a lighter-skinned mutant form of Pinot Noir. In most cases, it is not until Pinot Gris berries develop their color in autumn that the vine becomes visibly distinguishable from its siblings Pinot Noir, Pinot Blanc and (Pinot) Meunier.
Pinot Gris grapes ripen early in the season and have relatively low acidity, making them very well suited for cool climate viticultural regions. The wine is produced in a range of styles which typically reflect of the terroir in which the vines are grown. Perhaps because it is capable of producing palatable wine in almost any climate, it has spread throughout the winemaking world and has taken on regional names and styles as it did so. Pinot Gris has been grown in regions such as Burgundy and Champagne, (although it has been almost entirely replaced by Chardonnay in both of these regions) in Hungary, Germany, the Czech Republic, Italy and most New World regions which meet its need for cooler ripening conditions. In Hungary the variety goes by its Slavic name Szurkebarat.
In Alsace, north-eastern France, Pinot Gris was known for many centuries as Tokay and more recently Tokay d’Alsace. However, since 2007 Alsatian winemakers have no longer been permitted to use any form of the name Tokay for their Pinot Gris. This was a legal step taken by the European Union to prevent confusion with the prestigious Tokaji wines from Hungary, historically made from Pinot Gris but now made from Furmint and Harslevelu.
In Germany the grape is known as Rulander if the wine is sweet, or Grauer Burgunder (Gray Burgundy) if dry. This usage is mirrored in the New World where dry versions may be labeled using the Italian form Pinot Grigio, and sweeter or richer styles with Pinot Gris. This is a convention rather than a rule, and so the label name cannot be relied upon as an accurate guide to the wine style. Australian researchers have now developed technology to differentiate between Gris and Grigio styles while the wine is still in the bottle. The hope is that this will lead to an international standard on how the terms should be used.
Pinot Gris enjoyed a significant rise in popularity in the 1990s where it displaced unoaked Chardonnay and joined other lighter white wines such as Riesling and Sauvignon Blanc as a popular wine for early consumption. Although some Pinot Gris wines (particularly sweeter styles) have excellent ageing potential, in general the variety's low acidity mean that the wine is best when young, and still displays its characteristic spicy perfume. Most winemakers avoid imparting obvious oak character into their Pinot Gris, but fermentation in older barrels, lees contact and partial malolactic fermentation are commonly used to increase the texture and richness of the wine without sacrificing the grape's natural aroma. These styles are generally recommended to partner food. Late harvest Pinot Gris wines are common, particularly in Alsace, as the early ripening nature of the grape means that it can achieve intense sweetness and flavor if left on the vine.
The crisper, drier, Pinot Grigio style is lighter and more flexible than most Pinot Gris. For more information on this, please see Pinot Grigio.
In France Pinot Gris has also been known as Auvernat Gris and Auxerrois Gris.
|
