Pinot Gris from Alsace creates rich, stone fruit-laden wines. They are perfumed and aromatic, and typically dry. It has round body and medium acidity. Take the grape a bit south to Italy, and it creates a very crisp, high-acid, citrus noted wine. Both are flavorful, but wine named Pinot Gris typically provides more body and rounder fruits, while Pinot Grigio gives lighter-bodied, citrus fruits. Oregon and California are also growing the grape, Oregon having success with a more Alsatian style and California producing both. Winemakers often call the wine by the style they wish to replicate – for Italian style, look for Pinot Grigio; for the Alsatian style, look for Pinot Gris. In Alsace, Pinot Gris can also makes wine with some residual sugar. It’s capable of creating delicious dessert wines in the region.
