What's the best Pinot Grigio?

[K_John_Joseph]

What’s the best 3-ring binder? What’s the best Applebees? What’s the best traffic cone? What’s the best canned peas?

These burning questions somehow tower over “What’s the best Pinot Gris?”

Whatever one isn’t in your glass.

I’m 93 points on that, but since it’s by a winemaker from Oregon, a region producing some of the “best” pinot gris in the world, I’m 99 points on that. And I laughed out loud in my office.

[K_John_Joseph]

Charles Smith.

I’m not a fan of his labels, which I think are pretty ugly, or his overall schtick - he’s a chubby guy with long gray hair that stopped looking cool about forty years ago, but he does manage to make some really decent wine that isn’t too expensive and that’s widely available. That’s an underappreciated skill IMO.

He’s like Jim Clendenen with worse taste and sunglasses.

[Peter_Kleban]

Trimbach (esp. their special cuvée) and Albert Mann make wonderful Pinot Gris. Get one of those or a Zind Humbrecht as suggested earlier. Same grape.

Yes it’s the same grape, but for PG they pick it unripe. The result is hardly any flavor and even less character. \rant

PS Just occurred to me that Pinot Gris with ice cubes might do the trick

Is PG Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio?

Pinot Grigio

[David_K2]

Probably not what his guests were thinking of when they asked for pinot grigio.

And, since Jay was talking about offering a $20 bottle as a gesture of hospitality toward the vinuously ignorant, I doubt he wants to fork out for Radikon ($45) or Zind Humbrecht Rangen de Thann ($80).

Right. In fact, I’d go so far to say that an Alsation Pinot Gris - such as along the lines of a Zind Hunbrecht (even their basic cuvee) - while nominally the same grape, is about as far from what they were expecting as possible. Then you have to launch into a discussion about how it’s actually the same grape grown in a different place, and how the French style is different from the Italian style, and before you know it, you’re that guy.

[AndrewH]

Alois Lageder and Tiefenbrunner were going to be my suggestions. So I second those.

Agree, and also Jermann mentioned above.

That said, I suspect Jay’s friends are really asking for a simple, not very interesting, light, flavor-limited wine that they happen to be able to name. So there may be no risk in grabbing whatever Pinot Grigio seems passable and cheap and serving that up.

[RichardFlack]

Make your own - take 3/4 bottle of water and add a 1/4 bottle of the worst white you have = instant Pinot Grigio

This is a recursive definition…

[lleichtman]

What’s the best 3-ring binder? What’s the best Applebees? What’s the best traffic cone? What’s the best canned peas?

These burning questions somehow tower over “What’s the best Pinot Gris?”

Whatever one isn’t in your glass.

I’m 93 points on that, but since it’s by a winemaker from Oregon, a region producing some of the “best” pinot gris in the world, I’m 99 points on that. And I laughed out loud in my office.

Except that it seems to be getting pulled out by many Oregon wineries to make room for Chardonnay.

[RichardFlack]

Alois Lageder and Tiefenbrunner were going to be my suggestions. So I second those.

+1 on these too (as well as the Pungll).

[L_e_o_F_r_o_k_i_c]

Alois Lageder and Tiefenbrunner were going to be my suggestions. So I second those.

[Rory_K]

Everything that’s come to mind has been said for me, Schiopetto, Elena Walch, Terlan, Jermann. I also enjoy Ermacora. Good Pinot Grigio is a wonderful thing, though rarely a ‘serious’ thing… shame about its reputation.

[dvansteenderen]

Not a big fan of generic Pinot Grigio, but kudos to you for being a good sport.

As mentioned before:

Venica & Venica Pinot Grigio Jesera
Vie di Romans Pinot Grigio Dessimis

A bit more out of the box:

Marjan Simçiç Pinot Grigio Brda Classic (Slovenia)

[Howard_Cooper]

Probably not what his guests were thinking of when they asked for pinot grigio.

And, since Jay was talking about offering a $20 bottle as a gesture of hospitality toward the vinuously ignorant, I doubt he wants to fork out for Radikon ($45) or Zind Humbrecht Rangen de Thann ($80).

Right. In fact, I’d go so far to say that an Alsation Pinot Gris - such as along the lines of a Zind Hunbrecht (even their basic cuvee) - while nominally the same grape, is about as far from what they were expecting as possible. Then you have to launch into a discussion about how it’s actually the same grape grown in a different place, and how the French style is different from the Italian style, and before you know it, you’re that guy.

Jay asked for the “best” Pinot Grigio. Jay, you have to decide on whether you want something that tastes good or just to get an innocuous wine with no flavor and nothing offensive. If that is what you want, why start the thread? Your OP stated the name of the the big one.

[David_K2]

Probably not what his guests were thinking of when they asked for pinot grigio.

And, since Jay was talking about offering a $20 bottle as a gesture of hospitality toward the vinuously ignorant, I doubt he wants to fork out for Radikon ($45) or Zind Humbrecht Rangen de Thann ($80).

Right. In fact, I’d go so far to say that an Alsation Pinot Gris - such as along the lines of a Zind Hunbrecht (even their basic cuvee) - while nominally the same grape, is about as far from what they were expecting as possible. Then you have to launch into a discussion about how it’s actually the same grape grown in a different place, and how the French style is different from the Italian style, and before you know it, you’re that guy.

Jay asked for the “best” Pinot Grigio. Jay, you have to decide on whether you want something that tastes good or just to get an innocuous wine with no flavor and nothing offensive. If that is what you want, why start the thread? Your OP stated the name of the the big one.

The “best” only because he wants to be a good host. Serving Zind-Humbrecht Pinot Gris Clos Windsbuhl to someone who asked for Pinot Grigio is not being a good host.

[Howard_Cooper]

Is there any grape with a worse reputation than Pinot Grigio.

French Colombard?

[Scott_Tallman]

radikon makes a wonderful pinot grigio that drinks like a deeply colored rosé

Cameron Winery in Oregon makes a similar wine (Rouge De Gris) that is inspired by Radikon and wonderful. Depending on where you are located, probably easier to source than Radikon.

[Chris_Seiber]

Jay,

You might pick up one of the recommended northern Italy ones in this thread – Jermann, Schiopetto, Alois Lageder, Tiefenbrunner.

For somewhere between $12-22, you’ll have a wine which your PG-requesting company will recognize and enjoy (probably less sweet and more acid and herbal notes, but probably not so different they won’t get it), which might modestly open their eyes and elevate their tastes and appreciation compared to grocery store PG, and is something you and/or your other company can drink and find to be perfectly decent.

Some of those wineries make a better bottling at or just above that price range, too, if you desired to elevate what you are serving a little more.

Nobody is saying these wines are going to compete at the blind tasting with grand cru Burgundy or anything, but many Italian whites in that price range are quite tasty, versatile, food friendly, and even interesting, once you get into some real producers and away from industrial supermarket plonk.

I do appreciate that you wish to give your guests what they want where possible. We wine enthusiast types always walk an interesting line there - you don’t want to serve stuff you think is crap, or have that reflect on your tastes and knowledge (“Oh, you like Apothic Red, great, I’ll open a bottle for the table”), but you don’t want to serve geeky wines that your company won’t appreciate or maybe will dislike either (“I know you like Belle Glos, but let me open this bottle of Dolcetto d’Alba for you and maybe you’ll dig that.”)

The best case scenario is to give them something which they will like but which is also good, and maybe will open their eyes to there being something better out there than what they normally drink. I think you can do that here with pinot grigio.

[Tom_Taylor]

St Michael Eppan, Abbazia Di Novacella, Hofstatter, Lageder, Elena Walch, Tiefenbrunner, Schiopetto, Jermann, Cantina Tramin, Cantina Terlano are just a few reliable names

[Roger_Ouellette]

One more option, surprised I haven’t seen it posted here yet.

Calling Marcus,

How quick can you send Jay a case of your Goodfellow Family Cellars Pinot Gris Reserve Clover?

One of the best Pinot Gris I’ve tasted and at around $20, it feels like stealing.

You’ll be happy, your guests will be happy, win-win!

[John_Glas]

[quoteMarilyn Merlot!][/quote]If you have the whole set you are sitting on some serious money. Wine sucks but a collector item for sure!

[kyledorsey]

Nals Magreid and Abazzia di Novacella in Alto Adige and Venica & Venica in Friuli both make fine examples.