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They're all mutants, those offspring of the grape called pinot noir. As wine guru Jancis Robinson says of the parent pinot: "a notoriously degenerate vine variety, prone to mutate at the drop of a gene".

Pinot comes in many colours, identified by many names; the ones we know best are pinot blanc and noir, then gris. But don't stop there: look around the world and you'll see auxerrois and burot, cioutat and droit, evara and fin, meunier and teinturier, rose and even violet. Nearly 20 strains have been isolated since the mid 18th century, and gris is the one we'll look at today.

Pinot gris has its own identity crisis, unable to decide if it's a dark grape or a light one. The skins show hues from grey-blue to pinky-brown; in fact, in Italy and Switzerland the wine is often pinkish. Sometimes it gets that way in the Okanagan, too. Mostly, though, ours is a deeply coloured white wine: green-glinted yellow, straw gold, edging toward amber.

The Germans know it better as Ruländer, after a German merchant named Ruland, and here's where they grow more of it than almost anywhere. In Hungary, it is Szürkebarat, or "grey monk", and we've got a famous one of those in the northeastern Okanagan Valley. Burgundy contributes to the "grey monk" aspect too, by calling it Pinot Burot, after a rough, grey cloth.

In Alsace it is still known as Tokay for reasons still known mostly to the Alsatians.

It's a rich, full wine in most places except Italy, where they pick it as soon as they possibly can, scared of autumn rains. Consequently, Italian Pinot Grigio doesn't have a lot of flavour. But it sure is dry. There are some exceptions. The trick is finding them.

Despite Jancis Robinson's nigh-epithetical pronouncement as recently as 1986, in her monumental Vines, Grapes and Wines , that pinot gris is "very fashionable in Italy, practically ignored in the New World", we've got it growing all over the place: gris galore--10 out of the chute first time and we weren't even breathing hard.

Some were tap-water pale; others practically pink. Some were big and bold and full of fruit; others, lean and light, reserved or subtle. The palest came from Lake Breeze on the Naramata Bench at a sensible 11.5 percent alcohol; the pinkest came from there, too: Nichol Vineyards' lush 2002 with an eyebrow-elevating 14 percent.

Most sit in the $12-to-$15 price bracket; a few cost more (Deep Creek, Burrowing Owl). All want to be well chilled and brought out for lunch, brunch, dinner, after dinner, anything and any time, so long as the sun is shining. Some quick tasting impressions:

LAKE BREEZE 2003 Very light, pale, but that's just the colour; on the tongue there's plenty of fruit (the previous vintage won gold at the Okanagan Wine Festival), full and rich and well-integrated. It's among the best of the Bench.

GEHRINGER BROTHERS 2003 PRIVATE RESERVE "Subtle fruit, typical earthiness...an alternative to Chardonnay" say the brothers; those "earth tones" are sure felt on the palate; there's a good depth of fruit, but it's much drier than many of the others here: complex, intriguing, elegant, it demands--and rewards--subtly seasoned foods.

WILD GOOSE 2002 Another Okanagan Wine Festival winner, with a deeper, more golden colour, showing just a faint pink hue; lovely floral aspects--lush and tropical--plus a touch of honey and a pleasant little bite at the back of the palate.

KETTLE VALLEY 2002 Still more medal material from last year's festival; at a pale peach, it's third in the darkening colour scheme. The fruit is very deep and rich; the flavours, intense and ripe. Get your share of what's left of these original 550 cases, if anything, and enjoy for three or four more years.

NICHOL VINEYARDS 2002 Welcome to big pink: killer fruit front to back; angular and assertive; rich and robust; full-frontal fruit and a hit of pepper at the back. Just terrific and, fashionable or not, it's my solid favourite. But hard to find; you're talking trunkloads from the valley for most of these.

DEEP CREEK WINE ESTATE 2002 This new label from Hainle is showing some fascinating wines--$17.90 may be a tad steep, though. Pale, but surprisingly rich, it's got good structure, fat fresh fruit, pleasant flavour wavelets in the mouth, and a clean, bright finish. A little gem among B.C. Gris.

SANDHILL 2003 KING FAMILY VINEYARD Gorgeous and ripe fruit for the front of the palate opens up to the traditional grey-slate aspect; stylish and complex, its richness is just tempered by a bit of slate.

BURROWING OWL 2003 A landmark Pinot Gris for B.C. since the first vintage, the Owl continues to maintain its leading position. More fruit, more complexity than many of the others--it's got bigger, headier aromas too. Round and full and excellent, if a little short on acid, it's to drink while it's fresh, served with really good seafood.

CALONA 2003 ARTIST SERIES "Scallops in garlic butter," winemaker Howard Soon suggests. Floral and aromatic, the aromas imply more sweetness than the tongue registers. There's a good, crisp bite to the fruit; it's a beautifully balanced wine.

GRAY MONK 2003 The winery's namesake starts with a hint of smoke and opens into massive fruit; a little hint of yeast and a little bit of roast, despite the all-steel fermentation, it is a big-bodied wine with lots of apricot and a creamy finish, almost over-the-top; the previous vintage won double gold in New York, but there wasn't a bottle to be had at my neighbourhood store; hard to imagine it would have been much better than this current model.