However you say it, new Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio wines make grey grand, so now’s the time to pour your way through a PG tour
The PG steamroller is gathering momentum, and it certainly doesn’t look to be slowing down anytime soon—not a week goes by without another new listing of Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio. Often they come in batches. Let’s cast our wine-fogged minds back three, four years and count ’em. Half a dozen, maybe, spread across four continents and a dozen countries?
I was going to count the current LDB–listed ones, but the tiny print gave me a headache, so I repaired to the solarium and consoled myself with a glass of the stuff instead.
“What’s the difference, anyway?” people ask. In a nutshell, none—just the name. One’s French (gris means grey); the other’s Italian (grigio also means grey). And while the grape on the vine may have something of a greyish hue, the colour of the wine itself can range from slightly pink to water white, glowing gold to thyme green.
As a somewhat flawed rule of thumb, you could say that Grigio is more the crisp, dry, tart, steely Italian style, while Gris is softer, rounder, Frenchier. There’s even a honeyed version prominent in Alsace, where—true to Alsatian form—they call it by another name, Tokay d’Alsace, which incidentally bears no relation to the famous Hungarian Tokays. (See, that’s why sommeliers are born.)
Here at home, wine drinkers have developed a serious appetite for the stuff. It took no effort at all to round up an overflowing boxful, and here’s the fruit of those labours. As always, prices were correct at the time of purchase, but are adjusted monthly.
Fish Eye California Pinot Grigio n/v ($9.99) Most likely the cheapest PG in town, it’s pale as water, and has very little aroma and very little fruit or flavour. Their slogan is, “This wine jumps out of your glass.” Not mine, it didn’t. But the right hand gave it an assist.
Lamberti Pinot Grigio 2006 ($13.99) This is the autentico Italian version—one of them. It’s very crisp, a little light, citric, bright, and clear, if somewhat short in the finish and long on alcohol burn. Needs food.
Bandit California Pinot Grigio 2006 ($13.99) The one-litre Tetra Pak makes it something of a bargain, but we’re still short on fruit and big on alcohol. Very pale colour but with good weight, it’s a fresh one that calls for lots of ice cubes when it gets to be that season—spritzers, coolers, sangrias, etc. I’m not sure the science behind the closure has been perfected: both boxes I tried had the spout break away from the cardboard after only minimal handling and leak all over the counter. Not so much a problem with the white, but the companion Cabernet made a mess. Still, what’s inside is pretty good for the cost.
Voga Pinot Grigio 2006 ($14.99) In this line of wines, packaging is everything—a knockoff of the Scandinavian Voss water-bottle design. It looks a bit like a lava lamp without the glop in it. But the replaceable cap is cute, and functional, and the price is good. So the zippered neoprene cover (maybe it only came with the introductory shipment) is kind of redundant packaging excess. The wine itself is typical of table Grigios—light, fresh, and not much to it, but clean and crisp. Oh, go ahead, keep the bottle for when you go running; it may weigh more, but it looks cool.
Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Grigio Reserve 2006 ($15.99) Here we’ve hit a fine PG—full fruit, rich and luscious and tropical, an apple-juice-golden colour, and a long, lip-smacking finish. At this price point ($15 or $16 seems to be where the majority sit), it’s as good as you can find.
Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio 2006 ($15.99) Except now this major Italian label comes along, fresh and lively, hearty, and full-bodied. Set it alongside any big-sauced Italian dish—creamy pastas and rich risottos—and you’ll be well rewarded. We liked it even better than the costlier Riserva (below), for its freshness. A lovely lunch wine.
Ganton & Larsen Prospect Ogopogo’s Lair Pinot Grigio 2006 ($16.99) From the new virtual winery in the Okanagan—with the localized label subsets that are kinda cute, and are picking up all sorts of accolades and awards—comes this unusual PG, more like Sauvignon Blanc, which is what the tasting panel called it. With fresh hay aromas and complex and unusual mixed-fruit flavours, it’s nice, but odd. And getting up there, pricewise.
Gray Monk Twenty-fifth Anniversary Pinot Gris 2006 ($16.99) More Okanagan gold, this time in the deep burnished colour, that offers a surprisingly fresh and fruity aroma. Very appley, soft, and luscious, this is an all-around winning wine that’s particularly pleasant with creamy cheeses, like not totally out-of-control Brie, or Münster or Poplar Grove Tiger Blue.
Summerhill Pyramid Pinot Gris 2006 ($16.99) A hit from the Okanagan’s much-visited Pyramid Winery, whose portfolio is bewilderingly large (hence it has a fair number of misses too), this starts with very fresh, malic/citric/unripe-pear aromas, which evolve right into McIntosh apple flavours. It stays super-crisp to the finish. Perfect for herring in aspic, salads, and crisp raw vegetables with a creamy dip. A fine, bright, summery PG with major appeal.
Van Westen Vino Grigio 2006 ($18.90) Since they only made 222 cases, it may well be all sold, but the label has a good presence in Vancouver restaurants with better-than-average wine lists, so ask. Rob Van Westen directs us to “apple, melon and fennel”; there are pears here too, and other sturdy big fruit, front and back. It’s rich and intense. The VW whites are always remarkable, and after only a handful of vintages Van Westen has to be considered in the top 10 of B.C. white-wine producers. Taste this and learn why.
Mezzacorona Pinot Grigio Trentino Riserva 2005 ($19.99) This is a most versatile wine, with excellent, heavy fruit; well-placed oak; and a clean, bright, and long finish. (I had it one night with meatloaf and A1 steak sauce, and later in the week with coq au vin blanc, and it did both dishes proud.) But it does cost 20 bucks, doesn’t it?
See Ya Later Ranch Pinot Gris 2006 ($19.99) A gorgeous south Okanagan entry, pegged by the winemaker as “lush, with tropical fruit flavours”, it is all of those and more. There’s gentle acidity for the front of the tongue, and then a slightly sweet and easy rolling finish. It’s a treat with grilled pineapple or blackened fish with salsa or, best of all, chicken salad with tomatillos, fresh chili peppers, and jicama.
Garry Oaks Pinot Gris 2006 ($23.99) From the enterprising Salt Spring Island winery—whose ascendancy with each successive vintage is plotted on one of those growth curves that accountants like—comes a mineraly, steely, almost Chablis-like wine. You can taste asparagus in the flavours, so that’s a good place for it: alongside a plate of char-grilled spears. Among the other wines in this tasting, it showed quite strange but appealing. The price proved a problem for some panelists.
Saturna Vintner’s Select
Pinot Gris 2006 ($24.95) Price was a sticking point for this Gulf Islander too. Gris-wise it was soft and mellow, the fruit (sourced from various Okanagan sites) full, if lacking a little acidity. In a recent dinner where all Saturna wines were served, it was the one to empty first, which always tells the truth. At $7 less, tasters thought they’d like to go home with it, but there was too much cost competition, so its considerable charms were sidelined.
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