Pinot Grigio is one of Italy's most widely planted white grapes. In France and much of the rest of the world it is called Pinot Gris. Northeastern Italy made it famous in a light, crisp, dry style with clean acidity and delicate fruit. Most Italian Pinot Grigio is simple, everyday wine. The best bottles, from hillside vineyards in Friuli and Alto Adige, have real depth, and some can age for several years.
The grape is a color mutation of Pinot Noir. Its berries range from grayish-blue to pinkish-copper, which explains the name: grigio means "gray" in Italian. Those colored skins give winemakers a choice. Quick pressing gives the pale straw-yellow wine most people know. Longer contact with the skins gives a copper-colored wine called "ramato", with more texture.
Explore the full range of Italian grape varieties in our Italian grape varieties guide.
What kind of wine is Pinot Grigio?
A light-bodied, crisp, dry white wine. Most Italian Pinot Grigio comes from the northeast: Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige. It is usually unoaked, with flavors of green apple, pear and lemon.
Is Pinot Grigio sweet or dry?
Italian Pinot Grigio is almost always dry. Its fruity aromas can make it seem slightly sweet, but it has little or no residual sugar. Some Pinot Gris from Alsace, and a few New World bottles, are off-dry or sweet.
Is Pinot Grigio the same as Pinot Gris?
Yes, they are the same grape. The name usually signals the style. "Pinot Grigio" means light, crisp and unoaked, the Italian way. "Pinot Gris" means riper and fuller, as in Alsace or Oregon.
What is the difference between Pinot Grigio and Sauvignon Blanc?
Sauvignon Blanc is more aromatic, with grassy, herbal, grapefruit and passion fruit notes and sharper acidity. Pinot Grigio is more neutral and softer, with apple, pear and citrus. If Sauvignon Blanc tastes too green or tart to you, try Pinot Grigio.
Which is better, Chardonnay or Pinot Grigio?
Neither is better; they are different. Chardonnay is usually fuller and is often aged in oak, which adds vanilla and a creamy, buttery feel. Pinot Grigio is lighter and fresher, and rarely oaked.
What are the different types of Pinot white wine?
There are two white Pinot grapes, both mutations of Pinot Noir: Pinot Grigio (Pinot Gris) and Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc). Pinot Noir itself can also make white sparkling wine (blanc de noirs).
What is ramato?
A copper-colored Pinot Grigio made with skin contact, from a few hours to a few days. It is a traditional style of Friuli and Veneto. Try the Attems Ramato.
How strong is Pinot Grigio? Will it get you drunk?
Most Pinot Grigio has about 12–13.5% alcohol, a little less than most reds. Like any wine, it can make you drunk. A 5-ounce glass at 12.5% holds about as much alcohol as a 12-ounce beer at 5%.
Is Pinot Grigio a smooth white wine?
For many people, yes. It is light, low in tannin and usually unoaked, so it is one of the easiest whites to drink.
How much does Pinot Grigio cost?
In the US, most Italian Pinot Grigio costs about $10–20. Bottles from Alto Adige, Collio and other Friuli zones usually cost about $18–35.
How do you pronounce Pinot Grigio?
Say "PEE-noh GREE-joh".
Pinot Grigio does best in cool climates, where slow ripening keeps its acidity. In Italy that means the northeast. The three core regions are Friuli-Venezia Giulia, Trentino-Alto Adige and the Veneto. Altitude, the Alps and the soils give each one its own style.
In Friuli-Venezia Giulia, the best Pinot Grigio comes from the hills of Collio and the Colli Orientali. Their soils of layered marl and sandstone (called ponca locally) give wines more structure than the bulk versions. Yields are lower, and producers take the grape as seriously as Friulano and Ribolla Gialla.
In Trentino-Alto Adige, Pinot Grigio grows on hillside vineyards in the mountain valleys. Warm days and cold nights build flavor while keeping the wine fresh. Alto Adige was part of Austria until 1919, and its German-speaking winemaking culture values precision and clean aromas.
The Veneto is Italy's largest wine region by volume. It produces much of the Delle Venezie DOC, which supplies a large share of the Italian Pinot Grigio sold around the world. Quality ranges from thin, industrial wine to solid, good-value bottles.
Several Italian appellations are built around Pinot Grigio or include it as a main variety. The name on the label tells you where the grapes come from and which rules the wine follows.
Delle Venezie DOC is the largest. Created in 2017, it covers the Veneto, Friuli-Venezia Giulia and the province of Trento; Alto Adige is not included. It replaced much of the Pinot Grigio once sold as IGT delle Venezie. Wines must contain at least 85% Pinot Grigio.
Alto Adige DOC is the mountain version. Its Pinot Grigio tends to be crisp and aromatic, with a stony edge. A varietal wine must contain at least 85% of the named grape. Next door, the Trentino DOC also makes a lot of Pinot Grigio.
Collio DOC in Friuli makes some of Italy's finest Pinot Grigio. Its marl and sandstone hills, near the Adriatic, give wines with real depth and some ageing potential.
Friuli Colli Orientali DOC borders Collio and also makes serious Pinot Grigio. Other Friuli zones include Friuli Isonzo, Friuli Grave and the region-wide Friuli DOC. Ramato wines are made in several of these zones.
For a full listing of Italian wine denominations, see the DOCG and DOC index.
Standard Italian Pinot Grigio is light, crisp and unoaked. It smells of green apple, lemon peel and white pear, sometimes with a faint almond note on the finish. It is lean and refreshing, with about 12–13.5% alcohol and bright acidity.
Better wines from Collio or Alto Adige have more depth. Expect white peach, apricot and yellow plum, with floral notes such as acacia. Wines from rocky soils often have a stony, slightly salty quality. They feel fuller and creamier in the middle, with a citrusy finish.
The ramato style has a copper-orange color. It shows dried apricot, orange peel and spice, with light tannin that suits richer food. It sits between a regular white wine and an orange wine.
With age, top Friuli Pinot Grigio moves toward honey, beeswax, toasted nuts and dried stone fruit. Its acidity lets it develop for five years or more.
Pinot Grigio's clean acidity and light body make it one of Italy's most versatile food wines.
Price is a useful, if imperfect, guide to quality. Bottles under about $12 usually come from high-volume Delle Venezie production. They are simple and refreshing, which is fine for casual meals.
From about $15 to $25, the region and the producer start to matter. Look for Alto Adige, Collio or Friuli Colli Orientali on the label. Producers to know include Santa Margherita, the brand that made Italian Pinot Grigio popular in the US. From Alto Adige, try Alois Lageder, Tiefenbrunner and the cooperatives Terlano and St. Michael-Eppan. From Friuli, try Livio Felluga, Jermann, Marco Felluga, Venica and Lis Neris.
Above $30 you find the most serious Pinot Grigio: single-vineyard wines from Collio, skin-contact ramato wines from Friuli, and reserve bottlings from top Alto Adige estates. These can age for five years or more.
When reading a label, look for:
- Region or appellation: Collio, Friuli Colli Orientali, Alto Adige and Trentino point to a more specific origin than the broad Delle Venezie.
- Vintage: most Pinot Grigio is best within two to four years of harvest, though top Friuli and Alto Adige bottles can age longer.
- Producer: family estates and the best Alto Adige cooperatives are both reliable.
- "Ramato": means skin-contact winemaking and a fuller, more textured style.
For specific bottles, see our best Pinot Grigio wines guide and our Italian Pinot Grigio guide, or browse the full Italian wine catalog.
Friuli-Venezia Giulia is widely seen as the source of Italy's most complex and age-worthy Pinot Grigio. Its hill soils, a climate tempered by the Adriatic and a taste for texture give wines with real depth. Friuli is also a stronghold of ramato. The style was traditional across the old Venetian territories, and producers in Friuli and Veneto still make it. For more, see our best Friuli wines guide.
Trentino-Alto Adige stresses precision. The altitude and alpine climate give wines with high acidity, a stony edge and clean, focused fruit. The best Trentino-Alto Adige wines guide covers the wider region.
The Veneto is the volume leader. Much of its Delle Venezie Pinot Grigio comes from flat, fertile plains where high yields are the norm. It supplies most of the inexpensive Pinot Grigio on restaurant lists around the world.
In all three regions, Pinot Grigio is made to be fresh and good with food. For a wider view of Italy's best whites, see our best Italian white wines guide.