What’s the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris?
Pinot Grigio made by the Italians, is the same grape as Gris but the Italians don’t like to gamble, so they pick it as soon as it is ripe to deliver a white that is crisp dry and light with aromas of sliced pear and freshly cut crunchy apple with a dash of spice and fresh tingly acidity. Good current examples of this are Feluga Pinot Grigio (mont gris) one of the worlds best and a terrific local Pinot Grigio from Cupitt’s Winery.
The French pick the Gris a few weeks later and sometimes fiddle with it in the barrell to produce a more textured, layered wine with all the above mentioned characters plus a hint of lychee, apricot kernal or rose petal. Satyr Pinot Gris is awesome value at the moment and Kumeu Pinot Gris is more complex. I think Australia’s top Pinot Gris is “Offspring”