Pinot Grigio is one of the most grown grapes on the planet. Similarly, Pinot Grigio wine, is just as popular.

A beautifully displayed glass of pinot grigio wine draped in vines, in a vineyard!
uriy Seleznev/Bigstock.com

The grape is a white mutation of the renowned Pinot Noir grape. It is a versatile, refreshing, and easy to drink wine. Crisp, flavorful, and light, Pinot Grigio wine is found on many wine lists due to its versatility in food pairing. It’s popularity is only increasing. In fact, many celebrities love Pinot Grigio!

Pinot Grigio Wine: The Facts:

White Wine, Red Grape:

Pinot Grigio is named after a bluish-grey grape variety, and yet you’ll probably never see a bottle of red Pinot Grigio wine. During the production of white wine, juice is extracted from grapes and skins are discarded. White (or green) grapes are usually used, however, any type of grape will work. In red wine, black grapes (red or purple) ferment with the skin before extracting the juice. The color does not come from the juice, which is clear, but from the skins.

Early Harvest:

The Pinot Grigio ripens quite quickly. It is one of the first grape varieties harvested every year. The early harvesting of Pinot Grigio allows the grape to retain amazing freshness and acidity. Americans and lovers of New World wines enjoy strong fruit nose and taste in wine. This early harvest keeps the strong fruit flavor of Pinot Grigio to a minimum. In turn, this highlights the beautiful flavors of the grape, rather than overpowering a wine with fruit.

Versatility:

Pinot Grigio grapes are grown all over the world. The true versatility in the wine, as is true with all wines, is in the hands of the winemaker. However, Pinot Grigio grapes are vastly different in flavor and aroma profiles by region. In warmer climates, the tastes of lemon/lime, green apple, and honeysuckle are more pronounced. In colder climates, the grape retains less sweetness, adopting a more crisp and dry characteristic. While green apple and citrus hints still perfume the wine in colder climates; the overt fruitiness is minimized. Furthermore, inf Italy, for example, the body of Italian Pinot Grigio wines are lighter bodied. While Pinot Grigio wines made in New World style regions such as the USA, are fuller in body.

Pinot Grigio is a versatile, refreshing, and easy to drink wine. Crisp, flavorful, and light, Pinot Grigio wine is found on many wine lists due to its versatility in food pairing.

Food Pairing:

Pinot Grigio wines pair perfectly with white meats, such as chicken and pork. Furthermore, they complement white fish amazingly. A cold climate Pinot Grigio wines lemon/lime hints compliments white fish, while the crispness can cut across a fattier fish such as catfish. Seafood pasta dishes go well with the wine. The acidity in pinot grigio due to early harvest, makes it ideal to accompany meats with creamy sauces. In addition, it pairs amazingly well with ricotta and Asiago.

Young Wine:

Pinot Grigio wines are often drunk very young. For example, many producers of the wine have it bottled and being sold on shelves of wine markets and stores within 12 weeks of fermentation. Not all Pinot Grigio is drunk so young, however many varieties are. As a general rule, Pinot Grigio wines should be drunk within 5 years as they do not necessarily lend well to aging.

Best Served Cold:

Roughly 45° F is the perfect temperature to serve Pinot Grigio Wines. However, it depends on the particular wine, and winemakers suggestion. As a general rule however, if you are not sure,  45° F will bring out the best of your Pinot Grigio wine.

Named After:

Pinot Noir and Pinot Grigio are named after pine-cones, due to the nature and shape of their tight clusters. Pinot Noir for example, is a black pine-cone by translation; whereas Pinot Gris/Grigio is named the Grey Pine-cone. This is due to the blueish-grey color of the grapes skin.

Each type of Pinot Gris grape is different depending on the place where it grows, producing different wines with different flavours. The pinot grape originates from France, more specifically in the Alsace region. In any case, the Pinot Gris grape is grown in different regions of the world, among them; the wines produced in Germany stand out, since the Alsatian region is bordering the German country. Although there are other places where they have also jumped on the bandwagon of their production, such as New Zealand, Australia, South Africa, Chile and Argentina.