Pinot Gris
Go back five years, and most of the New World examples of this grape were Grigio wannabes – light, fresh and for the most part not very interesting.
But more recently we’ve started to see more complexity, ambition and texture in these wines, without being stuffed with residual sugar. It’s all rather heartening, and with sommeliers gradually coming round to the idea that New World PG has something genuinely good to offer suggests that we could continue to see the medal count here rise for the next few years.
Star performer – as usual – was New Zealand. In fact, you could argue that Pinot Gris, not Riesling or Chardonnay, ought to be their second white grape variety. Oregon looks seriously exciting, while Australia – which used to go toe to toe with the Kiwis – seems to have more or less given up.
From The Tasting Teams
‘The cheaper ones here failed, as there wasn’t enough in them, but there were some really good examples from New Zealand and the US. The strength here seems to be in that richer style.’ Charlie Young, team leader
‘These are definitely worthy of being on a wine list. Those from New Zealand had a bit more of a lighter and floral style that I particularly liked, while I didn’t enjoy the richer styles as much.’ Sarah McKenzie, Nut Tree Inn
‘These were very varied, both in terms of pricing and style. Some were quite opulent in an Alsatian way, while others were much more ethereal. It’s a very valuable and valid category.’ Martin Lam, team leader
‘A huge discrepancy in styles, with a couple of really brilliant wines – and the cheaper ones were sometimes the better ones. There’s good scope here, and from many different countries.’ Sue Jones, The Harrow at Little Bedwyn
‘These are crowd-pleasers. It was a very interesting flight, particularly those from New Zealand and Oregon.’ Chris Delalonde MS, The Dorchester