🍇 Pinot Gris
A white wine grape with pinkish-grey skin, a mutation of Pinot Noir.
Pinot Gris is a wine grape with greyish-pink skin, a mutation of Pinot Noir. The VIVC catalogue gives its berry colour as “gris” (grey), while the OIV counts it among white varieties in its statistics.
The variety originates in France. That Pinot Gris is a mutation of Pinot Noir is confirmed both by old descriptions and by DNA markers. So the two varieties look different in berry colour but are almost identical genetically. The VIVC lists 249 synonyms for Pinot Gris, among them Pinot Grigio, Grauer Burgunder and Ruländer.
According to the OIV, the area under Pinot Gris in Italy grew by 34% in 2010–2015. Together with Glera, the grape behind Prosecco, these were the only varieties in the country that were spreading, thanks to the Italian fashion for white wines. Plantings also grew noticeably in the USA, where the variety entered the top ten. In Germany it ranks fifth by area with 6 thousand ha (5.8%), and in Australia it covers 4 thousand ha.
Pinot Gris also has a place in famous sparkling wines. In Prosecco, up to 15% of the blend can be other varieties, Pinot Grigio among them. In Champagne it is one of the permitted secondary varieties, along with Arbane, Petit Meslier and Pinot Blanc, although the base there is Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Pinot Meunier.
Why it matters to you. Pinot Grigio, Pinot Gris, Grauer Burgunder and Ruländer on a label are all one variety, and in every case EU wines have to contain at least 85% of it. If two varieties are named, the wine has to be made from them alone. White wine is served at 4–10 °C.
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Pinot Gris → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- What is made from it
- 🍷 Champagne
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ French wine
- Where it grows
- Italy: 📍 Friuli-Venezia Giulia, 📍 Veneto, 📍 Trentino-Alto Adige, 📍 Trentino, 📍 South Tyrol, 📍 Collio, 📍 Friuli Grave
Germany: 📍 Baden, 📍 Kaiserstuhl, 📍 Badische Bergstraße, 📍 Hessische Bergstraße, 📍 Palatinate, 📍 Nahe
Ukraine: 📍 South Coast of Crimea, 📍 Massandra, 📍 Livadia, 📍 Ai-Danil
France: 📍 Alsace, 📍 Haut-Rhin
Switzerland: 📍 Three Lakes, 📍 German-speaking Switzerlandand 5 more
Romania: 📍 Dobrogea Hills, 📍 Murfatlar
Luxembourg: 📍 Luxembourg Moselle, 📍 Canton of Remich
United Kingdom: 📍 England - Main grape in
- France: 📍 Alsace, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Brand, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Hengst, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Rangen, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Schlossberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Furstentum, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Goldert, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Kitterlé, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Rosacker
and 47 more
📜 Alsace Grand Cru Schoenenbourg, 📜 Crémant d'Alsace, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Wolxheim, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Eichberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Frankstein, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Geisberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Hatschbourg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Kanzlerberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Kirchberg de Barr, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Mambourg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Moenchberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Osterberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Praelatenberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Saering, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Sommerberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Sporen, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Steinklotz, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Wineck-Schlossberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Zotzenberg, 📜 Moselle, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Engelberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Froehn, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Gloeckelberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Kastelberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Kirchberg de Ribeauvillé, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Mandelberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Muenchberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Pfersigberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Sonnenglanz, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Steinert, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Vorbourg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Winzenberg, 📜 Coteaux d'Ancenis, 📜 Reuilly, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Bruderthal, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Florimont, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Kaefferkopf, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Kessler, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Marckrain, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Ollwiller, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Pfingstberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Spiegel, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Steingrubler, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Wiebelsberg, 📜 Alsace Grand Cru Zinnkoepflé, 📜 Touraine Noble Joué
Italy: 📍 Collio, 📍 Friuli Grave, 📜 Delle Venezie, 📍 South Tyrol, 📍 Trentino, 📜 Valdadige Terradeiforti, 📜 Friuli Isonzo, 📜 Oltrepò Pavese Pinot Grigio, 📜 Trevenezie
Germany: 📍 Baden, 📍 Hessische Bergstraße, 📍 Palatinate, 📍 Rheinhessen
Hungary: 📍 Badacsony, 📍 Balaton, 📍 Balaton-felvidék
Luxembourg: 📍 Luxembourg Moselleand 1 more
Romania: 📍 Murfatlar - Related to
- 🍷 Hofstätter Pinot Grigio, 🍷 Bassermann-Jordan Grauburgunder trocken, 🍷 Bassermann-Jordan Grauer Burgunder orange, 🍷 Pinot Gris Brulant, 🍷 Hofkeller Würzburger Stein Grauer Burgunder trocken
- Offspring
- 🍇 Freisamer, 🍇 Deckrot, 🍇 Freiburg 523-52, 🍇 Ruling
Frequently asked questions
Are Pinot Gris and Pinot Grigio different varieties?
No. According to the VIVC, Pinot Grigio, Grauer Burgunder and Ruländer are all synonyms of Pinot Gris.
Where does Pinot Gris come from?
From France. It is a mutation of Pinot Noir, as confirmed by DNA markers.
What colour are Pinot Gris berries?
Greyish with a pink tinge: the VIVC records them as “gris”. In its statistics the OIV counts the variety as white.
Is it true that Pinot Gris is losing popularity?
No. According to the OIV, its area in Italy grew by 34% in 2010–2015, and plantings in the USA rose noticeably.
How widely is Pinot Gris grown in Germany?
According to the OIV, in Germany it covers 6 thousand ha, or 5.8% of the vineyards, fifth place among the country's varieties.
What to read next
- 🗺️ French wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 📍 Alsace — A narrow strip of vineyards in eastern France between the Vosges and the Rhine; AOC Alsace since 1962, 51 grands crus and Crémant d'Alsace.
- 🍷 Hofstätter Pinot Grigio — Hofstätter Pinot Grigio: white wine by J. Hofstätter from Tramin (Termeno) in Alto Adige; Alto Adige DOC.
- 📍 Haut-Rhin — The southern part of Alsace, home to most of the grands crus.
- 🍇 Deckrot — A teinturier grape bred in Freiburg, Germany, to add colour to wine.
Similar
🍇 Gewürztraminer · 🍇 Riesling · 🍇 Pinot Blanc · 🍇 Silvaner · 🍇 Sauvignon Vert · 🍇 Müller-Thurgau
Sources
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Pinot Gris, pedigree confirmed by DNA markers
- OIV Focus 2017: Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, Art. 49–50 (vintage year, wine grape varieties on the label)
- Consorzio Tutela Prosecco DOC: Disciplinare di produzione
- Comité Champagne: Champagne and its grape varieties