Pinot gris continues to be a varietal wine with legs in B.C. and the fact that it’s quickly becoming part of the local lexicon of wine has no doubt been beneficial to import versions too. In the Canadian market you will encounter some versions labelled pinot gris while others boast the typical Italian moniker pinot grigio.
Many of the best pinot gris, at least in my view, come from British Columbia, Northern Italy and New Zealand. The French version, from Alsace should not be ignored, but it tends to be so rich and heavy in style that it has little in common with its cooler climate cousins. California is awakening but, like Oregon, has yet to produce much more than what might be described as chardonnay look-alikes.
The latest statistics from the British Columbia Wine institute show pinot gris second among all white grapes planted in B.C., with 13.21 per cent of the space. Chardonnay leads all white varieties in the ground at 27.5 per cent of the total plantings.
Pinot gris is said to be a mutation of the pinot noir grape, although after that its origins are murky. Some historians point to the Cote-d'Or in Burgundy during the Middle Ages. Hungary boasted plantings as early as 1375, while an Alsace Baron brought pinot gris cuttings back to France in 1568 after fighting the Turks at Tokaji. He called the grape Tokay d'Alsace, a term since prohibited by the European Economic Community.
In the 18th century, a German merchant Johann Ruland discovered a wild vine growing on his property. He liked the wine he made from it and subsequent propagations were called rulander in his honour. The wild vine was pinot gris planted some 300 years earlier. Today, Germany’s dry version of pinot gris is called grauburgunder while the sweeter version is called rulander.
In Italy, the varietal is known as pinot grigio. Like so many Italian varieties, its history is shrouded in mystery and romance but it does date back to the 1830s. David Lett, owner of The Eyrie Vineyards in Dundee, Oregon planted that state’s first pinot gris in 1966 in the Willamette Valley. Today over 50 wineries are making Oregon pinot gris.
Gray Monk was the first to offer the varietal in B.C and has been among the leading producers since the late 1980s. The wine’s character varies with its origin and the winemaker's style, although the best are often un-wooded with medium-bodied, good fruit and some underlying spice. They are best enjoyed young.
Generally, we make a more precise version of gris then the rest of the New World and one that has more intensity than the pinot grigio of northern Italy. Yet it is seldom as dry or as weighty as anything from Alsace is. If it is true that growers like pinot gris because it ripens early, it would appear chefs and consumers like it because it pairs well with a variety of food.
Salmon is a natural but some say it should only be grilled; others insist it must be poached. I like it with local goat cheese, but halibut, scallops and prawns are a fine match too. You’ll find it just as handy on the patio before dinner where it can be served solo or, again, with a variety of appetizers.
Here’s an alphabetical look at some of the best you can find in B.C. Liquor Stores, private wine shops and VQA stores.
Burrowing Owl Pinot Gris 2006, Oliver,
Okanagan Valley $20
Look for fresh, juicy, mineral fruit with bits of red apple, honey and ripe pear. The finish is dry with citrus undertones.
Corte Giara Pinot Grigio 2006, Veneto,
Italy $17
Corte Giara is an Allegrini family project that sees no wood. The attack is dry and fresh with a subtle tasty, nutty, mineral, red apple flavour.
Herder Pinot Gris 2006, British Columbia
$19
The Herder blends fruit from the Okanagan and Similkameen Valleys boasting honey, earth and vibrant fruity flavours. If there was ever a poster boy for no oak in pinot gris, this is it.
Inniskillin Okanagan Pinot Grigio Reserve
2006, Okanagan Valley $16
Floral, almost orange blossom notes greet the nose. The entry is round, fresh and slightly sweet with red apple, mineral, citrus, nutty, fruit flavours with a touch of lime rind in the finish.
Mission Hill Pinot Gris Reserve 2006,
Okanagan Valley $22
The entry is lip-smacking fresh with northern Italian honeyed grapefruit, green apple mineral tones mixed with some creamy mid-palate textures.
Parducci Pinot Grigio 2006, California,
United States $17
The palate is a touch racy with peachy, mineral fruit that is flecked with orange bits and spice.
Sandhill Pinot Gris King Family Vineyard
2006, Okanagan Valley $18
Round and full-bodied, yet fresh, with smoky, grassy, nutty lime notes. On the palate there is plenty of zest and more mineral, green apple skin and buttery, nutty notes.
Therapy Vineyards Pinot Gris 2006, Naramata
Bench, Okanagan Valley $22
Light, fun, skinny, pear/mineral, pinot grigio style gris with a fresh, citrus aftertaste. Light and simple but well made.
Tinhorn Creek Pinot Gris 2006, Okanagan
Valley $16
This is light, delicate, pinot gris that is made for summer sipping. Look for light floral notes mixed with delicious crisp green apple mineral and nectarine notes.
Villa Teresa Pinot Grigio (Organic) 2006,
Veneto, Italy $15
Quite full and round in the mouth with sweet, red apple and pear fruit flavours with mineral and lime rind. Simple straight-up, affordable grigio made from organic grapes.
Villa Wolf Pinot Gris 2006, Pfalz, Germany
$18
This is Mosel guru Ernie Loosen’s QBA gris from the Mittlehardt, Pfalz . It’s stainless steel fermented and right at the edge of dry and off dry. The fruit is ripe and showy, reminiscent of pears and apples, with just a hint of sweetness and fatness that you can feel in the mouth.
Anthony Gismondi is a globetrotting wine writer who makes his home in West Vancouver, British Columbia. For more of his thoughts on wine log onto www.gismondionwine.com
