Pinot gris

A Pinot gris Vendange Tardive from Alsace, i.e., a sweet late harvest wine.

A major grape in Alsace, grown on 13.9% of the region's vineyard surface in 2006,[14] the varietal Pinot-gris d'Alsace is markedly different from Pinot gris found elsewhere. The cool climate of Alsace and warm volcanic soils are particularly well suited for Pinot gris, with its dry autumns allowing plenty of time for the grapes to hang on the vines, often resulting in wines of very powerful flavours.[15]

Pinot gris is one of the so-called noble grapes of Alsace, along with Riesling, Gewürztraminer, and Muscat, which may be used for varietal Alsace Grand Cru AOC and the late harvest wines Vendange Tardive and Sélection de Grains Nobles.[16]

Previously, the Pinot gris wines produced in Alsace were originally labeled Tokay d'Alsace. In the Middle Ages, the grape was popularized in the region by Hungarian traders who were introduced to the grape from Burgundy. During this time, Tokaji was one of the most popular and sought after wines on the market and the name was probably used to gain more prestige for the Alsatian wine. Pinot gris was believed to have been brought back to Alsace by General Lazarus von Schwendi after his campaign against the Turks in the 16th century. It was planted in Kientzheim under the name "Tokay".[17] However, the Pinot gris grape has no known genetic relations to the Furmint, Hárslevelű, Yellow Muscat and Orémus grapes that are traditionally used in Tokaji wine.[18] In 1980, the European Economic Community passed regulations related to Protected designations of origin (PDOs), and when Hungary started negotiations for European Union membership, it became clear that the Tokay name would have to become a PDO for the Tokaj-Hegyalja region.[19] Therefore, in 1993, an agreement was reached between Hungary and the European Union to phase out the name Tokay from non-Hungarian wine. In the case of Alsace, Tokay Pinot Gris was adopted as an intermediate step, with the "Tokay" part to be eliminated in 2007.[17][20][21] Many producers had implemented the change to plain Pinot Gris on their labels by the early 2000s, several years before the deadline.

Pinot gris was first introduced into Australia in 1832 in the collection of grapes brought by James Busby.[22] In Victoria, wines from the grape are labeled both Pinot gris and Pinot grigio, depending on the sweetness of wine with the drier wines being labeled Pinot grigio.[23]

Grauburgunder cultivation in Germany is divided by wine-growing area as follows:

Source: Vine area statistics, 13 March 2008, Statistisches Bundesamt, Wiesbaden 2008 in Beschreibende Sortenliste des Bundessortenamtes 2008, pages 198ff.[24]

Pinot Grigio is a popular planting in northeastern Italy in regions such as Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

In Italy, where the grape is known as Pinot grigio, plantings can be found in the Lombardy region around Oltrepo Pavese[25] and in Alto Adige, Italy's northernmost wine region.[26] The grape is also prominent in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region.[27]

Pinot gris is grown in both the North Island, (Waiheke Island, Hawkes Bay, Gisborne) and South Island (Central Otago, Nelson, Marlborough, Waipara), with 1,501 Ha producing as of 2009. This is over a 100% increase since 2006.[28] In 2007, Pinot Gris overtook Riesling as the third most planted white variety after Sauvignon blanc and Chardonnay. Half of all plantings are in Canterbury and Marlborough, with the wine developing a "rich, flinty, fruit-laden character".[29]

In Russia the grape is known as Пино Гри [pʲɪˌno ˈɡrʲi].

A Pinot gris from the Russian River Valley of California.

David Lett, from Eyrie Vineyards, planted the first American Pinot gris vines in Oregon in 1965. Hoping to increase sales, Lett started to graft Riesling vines to Pinot gris in 1979.[30] The grape originally had difficulties finding a sustainable market until Lett began marketing the wine to salmon traders as a good match to the fish. The wine's popularity only increased slightly until the mid-1990s when well-capitalized larger producers entered the picture with enough volume to warrant expensive marketing.[3] In 1991, King Estate Winery was founded with a mission to produce enough high quality Oregon Pinot gris to develop a sustainable national market for the wine. They are credited with bringing the Pinot gris grape varietal into national consciousness in the US[31] Today they are the world's leading producer of premium Pinot gris and farm the world's largest contiguous organic vineyard which contains over 300 acres (1.2 km²) of Pinot gris grapes.[32]

There are about 1,620 acres (660 ha) planted in the Central and South coastal areas of California.[33] The Pinot gris from California is often called Pinot grigio because of its similarity in style to the wine of Italy.[34]

Pinot Gris can be found in the northern regions of Ohio which is considered part of the pinot trail.