I hate Pinot Grigio.
At least I did. Pinot Grigio, to me, was little more than lightly acidulated lemon water with some wine-like characteristics. While the “impact” of wines such as Chardonnay, Riesling, Sauvignon Blanc, and Viognier were instant and self-identifying, Pinot Grigio wasn’t that impressive.
Meh was the description I usually gave it. Generally speaking, if I couldn’t figure out what the wine was during a blind tasting, it was probably Pinot Grigio. And as much as I hate to say it, most times I was correct.
And then a series of things happened, beginning just a few years ago. One of my favorite YouTube cooks (not a chef or wine guy; just an academic who’s having fun online), Adam Ragusea, discussed the importance of Pinot Grigio to his cooking. He made several videos about PG in just about everything, and this is one of my favorites:
What? That didn’t make any sense until I actually tried it. Okay. Because of the particular characteristics of Pinot Grigio, it makes a weird kind of sense and actually works.
PG and cooking. Who’d a thunk?
We all know Pinot Grigio as a white wine. Most of us (myself included) figured that the wine came from white – actually green – grapes. The first time I saw a pink Pinot Grigio at Costco, I was flabbergasted. Taken aback. Astounded, even.
While it was a few years before I sought out a pink Pinot Grigio again, I did a little research on the grapes. What a surprise!
I think it’s amazing that grapes with such a variety of colors are made primarily as a white wine, when it could be a wine of just about any color. And, as I have discovered, they actually are.
A Tale of Four Pinots
Yes. Four. Pinot Noir is the mother of the Pinot variety. I use the word “mother” because Pinot Noir is considered a feminine grape. Compared to something that is distinctly masculine, such as a young Malbec, the description certainly seems suitable. Let’s take a quick look at the children. Pinot Noir is genetically unstable, and that’s how we ended up with such a rainbow.
Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc vines are relatively hardy, thriving in cooler climates where they develop a balance of acidity and ripeness. The grape clusters are typically small to medium in size, with tightly packed berries. The resulting wines are renowned for their medium body and moderate alcohol content, resulting in a refreshing yet satisfying experience for the palate.
My favorite Pinot Blanc wines are Alsatian (Alsace). In my experience, they tend to have a honeyed texture and are weighty on the tongue.
Pinot Meunier
Pinot Meunier is one of very few grapes allowed in the making of Champagne. The others are Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, which are the most common.Pinot Blanc, Pinot Gris, Arbane, and Petit Meslier, while allowed in Champagne, are much less commonly used.
Pinot Meunier is a red/black grape – darker than Pinot Noir, actually – yet has a lighter and fruitier profile than Pinot Noir. It’s rarely made into wine as an individual single wine, and I don’t understand why. One of my favorites is Riverbench Pinot Meunier, and I find it’s a fruity, satisfying light red. And, yes, it can be made into a hearty, dark red wine as well.
Pinot Grigio/Gris
Unlike traditional white wine grapes, which are usually light green or have a yellow hue, Pinot Grigio grapes have a color that straddles the line between red and white grape varieties. This unique pigmentation arises from the grape’s genetic relationship to Pinot Noir. While a bunch of PG grapes can be green, most are green, pink, red(ish), and nearly silver in color.
Depending upon the winemaking, Pinot Grigio wines can be nearly as clear as Riesling, yellow or gold, a clear Rosé, or nearly as deep as Tavel. It is a chameleon grape!
Random Tastings
Zach (who’s here on temporary hiatus as he returns to Oregon) and I tasted a few Pinot Grigio, and I’d like to share our observations.
2021 Underwood Pinot Gris
Underwood is a winery based in Oregon, where the “Grigio” is almost always “Gris.” So even in the US, Pinot Grigio is known as a budget-friendly wine that’s great with just about any light food fare. More often, it’s drunk by itself.
I paid about $13-ish for it at Total Wine, and when we opened it, we found it light and refreshing. The color was a pale dusty coral with light citrus notes on the nose. It was not as fruity as I would have liked. Drier than expected, the citrus notes were pronounced, but it was mostly citrus peel, which took me to lime and/or lemon. I would have easily recommended this for just about any seafood or very light poultry.
2023 Tesoro della Regina Pinot Grigio
This is an indisputably white wine! I detected no hint of gold or pink.
The nose has prominent notes of green apple, pear, and white flowers along with hints of lemon. The same reflects on the palate, along with a bracing acidity and a hint of minerality. I found it surprisingly well-structured, with lemon, white peach, and a touch of Picasso melon. The finish is clean, medium in length, and effectively extends the mineral notes.
2023 Ugly Duckling Orange Pinot Grigio
Well, it could be orange. Or it could be a Rosé. An orange wine is white grapes that sit on the skins in order to extract color and flavor. A Rosé is the same thing, except with red grapes. So…
They call it orange. I won’t argue. Still looks like Rosé to me. Just sayin’.
It is not a dark color; in fact, it looks like a Côtes de Provence. Naturally, since there has been some skin contact, the color is more pronounced. The nose not only has the hints of lemon/lime citrus you’d expect, but it also has notes of tangerine, raspberries, and honeydew. On the palate, It has more weight than a typical Grigio, and the flavors are more complex. There’s very little minimality, but since this a New World (California) wine, that’s not surprising.
2024 Terre di Chieti Ramaro
While we tasted a few more Pinot Gs, I saved the best for last. Because it’s different.
I found the Terre di Chieti at Whole Foods for $16.95. Since it had been ages since I’d had a pink Pinot Grigio, I snatched it up immediately.
Glorious. Pinot Grigio, in whatever form, no longer sucks.
Terre di Chieti Ramaro is grown in Abruzzo, at the Lunaria winery, which is actually a consortium of growers in that region. Their wines are organic, vegan, and biodynamic. It’s a coppery-pink color, and absolutely delicious. Ramoro, by the way, is a unique style of Pinot Grigio wine known for its distinctive color, often referred to as “ramato” in Italian.
On the nose, there are hints of apricot, citrus, cinnamon, and nutmeg. On the palate, it offers flavors of candied orange peel, honey, and light notes of aromatic herbs such as sage and rosemary. The finish is long and persistent, especially for a PG. This NEEDS seafood or light poultry. And it’s probably be pretty good with pork or a savory mushroom dish. This is a wine made for food, and it’s delicious.
Yeah. I bought more.
Yum.
