Sip Into Summer: Discover Italy's Classic Pinot Grigio Wines
Pinot Grigio is the Italian name for Pinot Gris. The varietal is widely grown in Northeastern Italy. It's one of Italy's most popular wine exports and a mainstay of summer entertaining. Here is a brief background on the varietal and tasting notes on some of its most popular expressions.
Pinot Grigio is a mutation of Pinot Noir that developed a grayish-blue skin color, giving the grape its name. Grigio means 'gray' in Italian. It's genetically the same grape as France's Pinot Gris, but the Italian version has evolved into a distinct style known for its crispness and easy drinkability.
The varietal arrived in Italy from Burgundy and Switzerland centuries ago. Although grown throughout Italy, it blossomed in Northeastern Italy, particularly in the regions of Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige, and Veneto.
This cool, Alpine-influenced area offers an ideal climate for Pinot Grigio. The warm days help ripen the grapes, while cool nights preserve acidity and freshness. Over the last 50 years, Pinot Grigio has become Italy's most widely exported white wine, renowned worldwide for its light, crisp style. It's now a flagship variety of Northeastern Italy's white wine production.
Pinot Grigio from this region is crafted in a fresh, unoaked style, intended for immediate enjoyment. It's light to medium-bodied, crisp, and refreshing. Typical aromas include green apple, pear, white peach, melon, and hints of citrus zest. Many expressions also exhibit delicate floral notes, reminiscent of white blossoms, and occasionally a faint almond or herbal edge.
On the palate, it's crisp and dry, with bright acidity and subtle flavors of fresh orchard fruits and citrus. Some styles, especially those from higher altitudes, such as Alto Adige, exhibit a slight touch of mineral or wet stone character. The finish is typically fresh and brisk, making it a popular pairing for seafood and light dishes. Soils of Northeastern Italy
The region's soils play a key role in shaping Pinot Grigio's style, imparting these wines with a distinct terroir character. In Friuli Venezia Giulia, the soils are rich in marl and sandstone, locally referred to as ponca. These well-drained, mineral-rich layers give Pinot Grigio from Friuli more aromatic depth and a slightly richer texture. In Trentino-Alto Adige, Pinot Grigio grows on alluvial fans, glacial deposits, limestone-rich foothills, and dolomitic rock. These soils, combined with cooler Alpine air, produce Pinot Grigio with pronounced freshness, vibrant acidity, and a distinct minerality. In the Veneto region, vineyards stretch across gravelly river plains and fertile plains near the Adriatic Sea. These soils favor higher yields and a lighter, more straightforward fruit profile. They're perfect for the crisp, easy-drinking style that made Pinot Grigio famous globally.
Below is a brief background and tasting notes on a representative sample of inexpensive Pinot Grigio wines from Northeastern Italy. Piccini, Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC, 2024, 12% ABV, 750 ml. $11
Piccini, a well-known Tuscan family producer, crafts this fresh Pinot Grigio from select vineyards in the Delle Venezie DOC, Italy's heartland for crisp, approachable whites.
The wine is a pale straw with green reflections, featuring aromas of crisp pear, green apple, and white flowers. It's light-bodied on the palate, showcasing citrus notes, hints of peach, and a hint of almond. A brisk acidity and a clean, refreshing finish make this a perfect aperitivo.
Pinot Grigio hanging on the vine few days before the harvest getty Domenica, Pinot Grigio, Trentino DOC, 2024, 12.5% ABV, 750 ml. $16
Domenica highlights the alpine freshness of Trentino's cooler, high-altitude vineyards, producing a more aromatic and mineral-driven Pinot Grigio.
The wine is pale yellow, featuring delicate aromas of white peach, wild herbs, and a hint of mountain wildflowers. The palate showcases fresh pear and melon, with a subtle mineral edge. Crisp acidity carries a dry, elegant finish with a whisper of citrus zest. Mezzacorona, Pinot Grigio, Delle Venezie DOC, 2024, 12.5% ABV, 750 ml. $9
Mezzacorona is one of Northern Italy's largest cooperatives, known for its clean, reliable, and fruit-forward Pinot Grigio wines. The grapes come mainly from the cool foothills of the Dolomites.
The wine is a light straw, featuring notes of green apple, lemon peel, and honeysuckle. It's brisk and zesty on the palate with flavors of pear, citrus, and a hint of mineral salinity. The finish is light, crisp, tangy, and easy-drinking, with lingering notes of apple and citrus. Livio Felluga, Pinot Grigio, 2023, 13% ABV, 750 ml $30
Livio Felluga, a benchmark producer in Friuli Venezia Giulia, crafts one of Italy's most refined Pinot Grigios, renowned for complexity and depth.
The wine is a deep straw yellow with golden hints, featuring aromas of ripe pear, apple blossom, and delicate spice. It's smooth and textured on the palate with layers of orchard fruit, subtle herbs, and a creamy mouthfeel balanced by lively acidity. The finish is long and polished with a lingering touch of saline minerality. Jermann, Pinot Grigio, Friuli, 2023, 13% ABV, 750 ml. $26
Jermann is one of Friuli's most iconic wineries, renowned for its expressive whites that combine precision and character. Their Pinot Grigio is a standout for its purity and nuanced complexity.
The wine is pale yellow, featuring aromas of pear, white peach, and a faint hint of almond. It's brisk on the palate with crisp apple, stone fruit, and a gentle floral note. A balanced acidity and silky texture result in a refined, lingering finish. Pasqua, Pinot Grigio DOC, 2023, 12% ABV, 750 ml. $11
Pasqua is a historic Verona-based winery that produces accessible, fresh wines, capturing the easy-drinking side of Pinot Grigio from the Veneto region.
The wine is a pale straw with greenish highlights, featuring aromas of green apple, lemon, and spring flowers. It's light and crisp on the palate with notes of pear, citrus zest, and a fresh, brisk acidity. It's refreshing and straightforward, perfect for casual sipping. Ventessea by Mezzacorona, Pinot Grigio IGT, 2023, 9% ABV, 750 ml. $15
Ventessea is a new label by Mezzacorona, focusing on youthful, fruit-driven, low-alcohol Pinot Grigio crafted for modern palates.
The color is a light straw, featuring aromas of ripe pear, melon, and a touch of citrus blossom. It's smooth and lively on the palate, showcasing ripe orchard fruits and a crisp, dry finish. The finish is brisk with balanced acidity and a soft texture.
Autumn landscape in Collio Wine region, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy getty Kettmeir, Pinot Grigio, Alto Adige, 2023, 13.5% ABV, 750 ml. $22
Kettmeir, nestled in Alto Adige's cool, high-altitude alpine climate, produces elegant, minerally Pinot Grigio that reflects the region's distinctive terroir.
The wine is a pale yellow, featuring a fragrant nose of pear, white peach, and mountain herbs. It's tangy and crisp on the palate, showcasing green apple, citrus, and a flinty mineral edge. Bright acidity and a refreshing minerality result in a lingering, dry finish.
Pinot Grigio from Northeastern Italy is defined by cool-climate freshness, clean orchard fruit, and the region's diverse mineral soils, which add subtle finesse. Its light, dry style makes it one of the world's favorite whites — approachable, versatile, and reliably refreshing.
These wines exemplify the immense diversity that Pinot Grigio from Northeastern Italy offers, ranging from the minerally edged wines of Alto Adige to the tangy, zesty, and fruit-forward wines of the Veneto. These are easy-drinking wines that pair well with a variety of foods and make excellent aperitifs. They are also extremely economical and well worth exploring. More From Forbes Forbes The Best White Wines Under $10, According To The Top Wine Competitions By Joseph V Micallef Forbes The Best White Wines, According To The Wine & Spirits Wholesalers Of America By Joseph V Micallef Forbes Riesling Wine's 590th Anniversary: Toasting Purity, Precision And Passion By Joseph V Micallef
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