Wine · Grape variety guide
Grape Variety Guide · WSET Level 2
Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris
One grape, two styles — crisp Italian Pinot Grigio and richer Alsatian Pinot Gris.
Pink-grey skin
Low-to-medium acidity
Two house styles
Where it grows
- Veneto & Friuli, Italy — the light, neutral, high-volume "Pinot Grigio" style
- Alsace, France — fuller, spicier, sometimes off-dry "Pinot Gris"
- Germany — known locally as Grauburgunder
- Oregon, USA — a cooler-climate New World example
- New Zealand — increasingly common as a lighter white style
What it tastes like
- Italian style: neutral, with light citrus and green apple, light body, high acidity
- Alsace style: riper pear, peach, honey and spice, fuller body, lower acidity, sometimes off-dry
- Skin can impart a faint copper or blush tint, more visible in richer styles
- Low tannin, as with all white wines made without skin contact
Growing notes
- A colour-mutation of Pinot Noir — same vine family, but with pinkish-grey rather than black skins
- Ripens relatively early
- Shares Pinot Noir's preference for cooler sites and its sensitivity to over-cropping
Good to know
Pinot Grigio/Gris is genetically identical to Pinot Noir apart from a single skin-colour mutation — making it a direct relative of Pinot Blanc and Pinot Meunier as well.
Exam tip
Don't confuse the two house styles: light, neutral Italian Pinot Grigio versus riper, more textured Alsatian Pinot Gris. Same grape, deliberately different winemaking — a favourite Level 2 distinction.
Part of the Grape Guide — browse all varieties, or jump back to the study sheet.
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