Pinot Grigio / Pinot Gris

Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are two names for the same white grape. Same variety, same vineyards would work, but the two names reflect two completely different philosophies. One is a light, refreshing easy-drinking wine. The other is a full-bodied, complex, sometimes sweet wine built for food. The split is mostly about when the grapes get picked.

The grape, two styles from one variety

Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris is versatile in the vineyard and produces two very distinct styles:

Light style (typically labelled Pinot Grigio)

Made from high yields of grapes harvested early while acidity is still high. Dry, light-bodied, high acidity. Simple flavours of apple and lemon. Almost always fermented to dryness.

Riper style (typically labelled Pinot Gris)

Made from lower yields and later harvest. Riper grapes are higher in sugar, lower in acidity, and more complex. Powerful, full-bodied wine with medium acidity and pronounced flavours of lemon, stone fruit (peach), and tropical fruit (mango, banana). Sometimes made off-dry or medium by interrupting fermentation (removing the yeast) to retain residual sugar.

Winemaking and maturation

Both styles are typically fermented in inert vessels to preserve fruity flavours. Lighter Italian-style Pinot Grigio is best drunk young - the simple flavours fade quickly in bottle. The fuller-bodied Pinot Gris can develop notes of ginger and honey over time.

Italy

delle Venezie DOC and Veneto IGT

The high-volume heartland of Italian Pinot Grigio. Most of what you see on supermarket shelves. Produced in the Veneto region in north-east Italy. Simple, unoaked, light-bodied, short finish. Typically inexpensive, acceptable to good quality.

Friuli-Venezia Giulia

Northern Italy's north-eastern corner. A more complex and fuller-bodied style of Italian Pinot Grigio.

France: Alsace

In Alsace AOC, the same grape is known as Pinot Gris. It's typically made from late-picked extra-ripe grapes. Acidity drops to medium, sugar ripeness and flavour complexity rise.

Depending on the winemaker, Alsace Pinot Gris ranges from dry to medium sweet. Typically medium to full body with pronounced peach, mango, and ginger. Develops honey with bottle age. The best wines come from grand cru vineyards on steep, south-east-facing slopes of the Vosges Mountain foothills.

Vendanges Tardives (VT)

French for "late harvest". A labelling term permitted only in Alsace. Typically denotes a medium to sweet wine made from extra-ripe grapes. Can be applied to Pinot Gris, Riesling, or Gewurztraminer wines from either Alsace AOC or Alsace Grand Cru AOC.

Last sub-section: three aromatic whites, Gewurztraminer, Viognier, and Albariño.