Pinot gris

Pinot gris and pinot grigio are the same grape, a colour mutation of pinot noir with pinkish-grey skin. The two names mark two intentions. Pinot grigio, the Italian style, is picked early, made in stainless steel, and is light, crisp, neutral and citrusy. Pinot gris, the Alsatian style, is picked riper and made fuller, richer, sometimes off-dry, with pear, honey and smoke.

The grape itself is low in acid and its grey skin gives more colour and phenolic weight to the juice than a green-skinned white would. A pinot gris left on the skins even briefly turns coppery, which is why some versions look faintly pink. It is early ripening and gives high sugar quickly, so the picking date largely decides which of the two wines you get.

Alsace and Alto Adige are the two serious homes. Northern Italy also produces the enormous volume of inexpensive pinot grigio that made the name a commodity. Oregon has made pinot gris its main white; Germany calls it grauburgunder and makes a fuller dry version; New Zealand and Australia grow both styles.