Pinot Grigio white wines are the wines the professional wine community hates the most. Frowned upon by wine connoisseurs, and particularly by those who want to be conceived of as a wine connoisseur, these wines are frequently used as an example of how masses of uneducated wine buyers will buy anything regardless of quality. So what has Pinot Grigio done to get such a bad reputation? And is it somehow deserved?
The popularity of Pinot Grigio
Pinot Grigio is the second best-selling white wine in the US, second only to Chardonnay, and its popularity is growing. You and I and an increasing number of ordinary people really enjoy our glass of Pinot Grigio. It is a very popular wine and being popular is not a quality wine snobs hold in high regard. They much prefer their wines to be exclusive and ideally only known to a select few. Therefore, winemakers and people who consider themselves to be connoisseurs of fine wines are always critical of these wines. Personally, I’ve been given a cold stare by the wine butler when I’ve ordered a Pinot Grigio at a big-name restaurant. It was almost as if he took my order as a personal insult, and he obviously thought his extensive wine list was completely wasted on someone like me.
So why the bad reputation?
So is there any valid reason for this contempt? Well yes and no. There is no denying that there are quite a few bland and uninteresting wines out there. When not carefully cultivated and treated only as a quick wine to market, the wines can be bland, boring, and uninteresting. The grapes ripen early and there is a temptation for growers to harvest the grapes early when more time on the vines would have added to the depth and spice of the final wine. Some Italian growers are also known to over-harvest their soil and therefore produce inferior quality wines.
However, this is not a fault with the grape itself, and it could easily be argued that there are many inferior Pinot Noir wines out there on the markup, despite the fact that the Pinot Noir grape is a critical favorite. Comparing the two grapes, they are indeed remarkably similar. This is not so surprising when you consider that the Pinot Grigio grape is a mutation of the original Pinot Noir grape.
So, judging by the grapes alone, there’s clearly no reason why Pinot Grigio shouldn’t be liked more than any other wine. But there is something else that has tarnished the reputation of these wines, and it is the Santa Margarita. In the United States, Santa Margarita is synonymous with Pinot Grigio wine. It defines what these wines are supposed to be, and is one of the most recognized brands in the world of wine. But is it the best of these wines? Not even remotely. In my opinion, there are dozens of better and more exciting wines for those who dare to try something new.
Hidden gems for those who dare to try
Grapes are greatly affected by both the climate where they are grown and the production methods used by their viticulturists, so the characteristics of the wines vary greatly from one place to another. A wine from Alsace is very different from a wine from northern Italy. And a fruity New Zealand wine can be very different from the California variety.
The truth is, there are many dedicated, hard-working winemakers who pride themselves on producing wines that can match the best Chardonnay or Riesling wines. Do you want any proof? Then treat yourself to a bottle of Collis Orientali from Italy’s Fruili Pinot Grigio, or perhaps an Oregon Evesham Wood Pinot Gris Estate, and I think you’ll have to agree with me.
