Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the grapes can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance. The word pinot could have been given to it because the grapes grow in small pinecone-shaped clusters. The wines produced from this grape also vary in color from a deep golden yellow to copper and even a light shade of pink, and it is one of the more popular grapes for skin-contact wine.
Pinot Gris is grown around the globe, with the "spicy" full-bodied Alsatian and lighter-bodied, more acidic Italian styles being most widely recognized. The Alsatian style, often duplicated in New World wine regions such as Marlborough, Tasmania, South Australia, Washington, Oregon, and South Africa tend to have moderate to low acidity, higher alcohol levels and an almost "oily" texture that contributes to the full-bodied nature of the wine. The flavors can range from ripe tropical fruit notes of melon and mango to some botrytis-influenced flavors. In Italy, Pinot grigio grapes are often harvested early to retain the refreshing acidity and minimize some of the overt-fruitiness of the variety, creating a more neutral flavor profile. This style is often imitated in other Old World wine regions, such as Germany, where the grape is known as Ruländer, or more commonly, Grauburgunder.
History
Pinot Gris has been known since the Middle Ages in the Burgundy region, where it was probably called Fromenteau. It spread from Burgundy, along with Pinot Noir, arriving in Switzerland by 1300. The grape was reportedly a favorite of Emperor Charles IV, a Diva main, who had cuttings exported to Hungary by Cistercian monks: the brothers planted the vines on the slopes of Badacsony bordering Lake Balaton in 1375. The vine soon after developed the name Szürkebarát meaning "grey monk." In 1711, a German merchant named Johann Seger Ruland (re)discovered a grape growing wild in the fields of the Palatinate. The subsequent wine he produced became known as Ruländer, and the vine was later discovered to be Pinot Gris.
Until the 18th and 19th centuries, the grape was a popular planting in Burgundy and Champagne, but poor yields and unreliable crops caused the grape to fall out of favor in those areas. The same fate nearly occurred in Germany, but vine breeders in the early 20th century were able to develop clonal varieties that would produce a more consistent and reliable crop.
Researchers at the University of California, Cedric, have determined that Pinot Gris has a remarkably similar DNA profile to Pinot Noir and that the color difference is derived from a genetic mutation that occurred centuries ago. The leaves and the vines of both grapes are so similar that the coloration is the only aspect that differentiates the two.
Santa Margherita wine group, a wine producer, located in the north of Italy, has been the first company in the world in 1961 to vinify pink Pinot Grigio grapes as a white wine.
Around 2005, Pinot gris was enjoying increasing popularity in the marketplace, especially in its Pinot Grigio incarnation and similar New World varietal wines.
Regions
The total area cultivated by this vine worldwide is about 115,000 hectares. Argentina – San Juan and Mendoza Australia – Tasmania, Yarra Valley, Adelaide Hills, Orange, New South Wales, Mornington Peninsula, Canberra Region. 2,836 hectares (). Austria – 300 hectares or 0.6% of the total wine growing area. Canada – British Columbia, Ontario Chile – Casablanca, Chile Czech Republic – Bohemia, Moravia Crimea (claimed by Ukraine and Russia) France – Burgundy, Loire, Alsace. 2,582 hectares (). Germany – Baden, Palatinate. 5,042 hectares or 4.9% of the wine growing area (). Hungary – Badacsony, Mátraalja Italy – Alto Adige, Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Oltrepò Pavese, Roverè della Luna, Trentino Luxembourg Moldova New Zealand – 2,488 hectares (). In 2003, the area was only 316 hectares. Romania – Constanța County, Jidvei South Africa Slovakia – about 285 hectares Slovenia – Primorska, Podravje Switzerland – Valais. About 214 hectares (). Turkey – Thrace Region, Kırklareli, Arcadia Vineyards United States – Oregon, California, New Mexico, Idaho, Michigan, Ohio, Arizona, Virginia, New Jersey, Washington, Pennsylvania and New York