Clare Valley, SA Pinot Gris & Grigio Wines

Any wine can be made sweet but most Pinot Grigio is fermented dry, or close to it. That said, cheaper offerings may have a few grams a litre of residual sugar. This level of sugar isn’t appreciable as sugar sweetness. But can improve texture and mouthfeel while also making the fruit flavours more obvious.

The grape itself is a mutation of Pinot Noir and has slightly pink juice. It is the same grape as Pinot Gris and is also sometimes called Grauburgunder. When called Pinot Grigio, it is typically made as a light to medium bodied, crisp and dry white wine. It can be dry and fruity or dry and minerally. Cooler spots, like northern Italy, and Austria, are particularly good at producing these two styles which are designed to be drunk young. Flavours can include lime, pear, green apple, lemon, honeysuckle and nectarine.

While the grape variety is the same, the name difference can indicate a difference in style. But not always. Generally, wines labelled grigio are crisp, light and fruity or minerally. Wines labelled Gris are more textural and weighty, and often quite complex. The French region of Alsace makes some complex, powerful and textural wines. These can have apple, pear, honeysuckle, lemon clove, honeycomb, and ginger notes and can be made dry, off dry and quite sweet.

Hells yes. Grab a cheapy, which is pretty much guaranteed to have good acidity and fairly neutral flavours. Sauv Blanc and Sparkling whites work well too.

Pinot Grigio covers a fair gamut from pale, citrus and green apple, high acid wines, through to deep, brooding, textural and unctuous wines which can be dry or sweet.