Through the Grapevine

By Tim Dwight

August 12, 2010

                                                            Pinot Gris to the Rescue

            Stuck in a rut with your summer drinkers? Over-oaked on California chardonnay?

            I can think of few white wines that offer as much pure pleasure as pinot gris, and the hot, torrid weather of late makes it a perfect choice for Florida drinkers.

Pinot gris is a white wine that has evolved over time as a clonal mutation of the red grape pinot noir, and its soft, gently perfumed wines contain more substance and color than many other white varietals.

Long a staple in Alsace, France, from whence the grape originates, Italians in particular have enjoyed immense success with pinot gris—nee grigio. Booming exports of this wine have given a major boost to the Italian wine industry at a time when that countries own domestic consumption is down rather markedly.

But it’s not only the Europeans who have awakened to a love affair with the grape; pinot gris is big business throughout the western U. S. as well.

Washington State, California, and most notably, Oregon, have all seen extensive plantings of pinot gris, and the grape has moved to the forefront in the battle to challenge perennial front-runner chardonnay for white wine supremacy.

Many American wineries now offer a version of pinot gris—or grigio--to complement their white wine line up, although this newfound success means that stylistically speaking, the wines can be a bit difficult to categorize.

The sheer diversity of climate and geography in California mean that experimentation will be going on for quite some time to determine exactly where this newly discovered transplant will adapt best, but further north, in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, there are no such concerns.

            While other white varietals such as chardonnay have seen mixed success in Oregon, pinot gris appears to be in its element here, producing wines that are richer, fuller and fruitier than those produced anywhere outside of their native Alsace.

            Round, supple, and medium-bodied, the grapes hit their apogee in Oregon’s humid, late-ripening fall weather, where there’s just enough sunshine and heat to allow for optimal maturity.

As opposed to Italian grigios that are light and crisp with relatively high acidity, most Oregon pinot gris are rich and creamy, and delightfully refreshing as well.

It’s this latter quality that allows the wines versatility as a pre-dinner aperitif, or as a complement to many traditional white wine foods.

Oak treatment is generally minimal and non-intrusive. Fresh fruit flavors of peaches, pears, and citrus are accentuated through stainless steel fermentations, allowing the grapes to speak for themselves.

Not surprisingly, many of Oregon’s top pinot noir producers also fashion a stellar pinot gris.

Some current releases that I can recommend include:

·                       Elk Cove 2008 Pinot Gris (approximately $17-$18 retail);

·                       A to Z 2008 Pinot Gris ($13-$14);

·                       King Estate 2008 Pinot Gris ($16-$17);

·                       Acrobat 2009 Pinot Gris (a well-priced second wine from King Estate that includes purchased fruit, it runs about $12-$13);

·                       O’Reilly’s 2008 Pinot Gris ($13-$14);

·                       Ponzi 2008 Pinot Gris ($13-$14).