The wine industry often likes to categorize products into neat little boxes. Store shelves and restaurant lists get automatically separated into red, white, and rosé. Even the radical natural wine movement that broke drinkers’ preconceived notions of what wine can be depends on categorization to some degree — where would it be without “orange wines” and “chillable reds”? But “Gris” grapes like Pinot Gris, Trousseau Gris, and Grenache Gris defy this convention, producing wines in a spectrum of colors from white to soft pink to copper.
Pinot Gris, which is by far the most popular of the “Gris” grapes, typically falls under the “white wine” category. Some of the most well-known examples are a light straw color, and commonly labeled Pinot Grigio, but there are an increasing number of bottles touting the same name that would be more accurately described as orange wines, skin-contact wines, or even rosés.
So how can one grape create such a range of styles?
This quirky trait can be traced back to its physical structure. It’s believed that Pinot Gris originated in Burgundy as a pink-skinned mutation of Pinot Noir. While the majority of grapes that produce white wines have a greenish, translucent skin, Pinot Gris displays more of a light purple color — to the degree that if one were wandering through a vineyard planted with the variety, they might suspect that it was a red grape. When most white grapes (like Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay) are made with skin maceration, the result is an orange-looking wine. But in the case of Pinot Gris, the skin contact leads to a pink or intense rusty color (depending on the length of time on the skins) making it more difficult to categorize.
Its name reflects this ambiguous coloring — “gris” meaning gray in French — and across several regions, the variety takes on different names that all translate to gray as a nod to its hue, “Pinot Grigio” in Italian, “Grauburgunder” in German, and “Sivi Pinot” in Slovenian.
Historically, regions like Friuli in northeastern Italy and right across the border in Slovenia treated this grape with a heavy dose of skin contact, resulting in wines with a deep color, nuanced aromas, and a compelling tannic structure. Italian producers dubbed the style “ramato,” meaning copper.
Credit: Tom Darling
In 1961, Santa Margherita’s winemaker Gaetano Marzotto thought of vinifying Pinot Grigio without the skins, removing all of its signature color — and, arguably, character — so it presented as a white wine. From there, Italian Pinot Grigio took off in popularity, sold worldwide as a safe, cheap, inoffensive choice for drinkers.
While the mass-produced Pinot Grigios from Italy (and beyond) gave the grape a reputation among somms as commercial plonk or “alcoholic lemon water,” some producers in the U.S. are revisiting the grape with an approach that echoes the ramato style. These skin-contact versions — as well as traditional examples from winemakers in Italy and Slovenia — showcase the grape’s vibrant, textural, and complex side, and many winemakers are excited about the style’s potential stateside.
Embracing Skin-Contact, Eschewing Categorization
Sonoma-based Two Shepherds winery crafts a range of skin-contact wines from “gris” grapes, including a Trousseau Gris, a Grenache Gris, and a ramato-style Pinot Gris that owners William Allen and Karen Daenen affectionately call “the love child of orange wine and rosé.”
“I like to joke that this wine feels like a Swiss Army Knife. The versatility is remarkable as it straddles a line of being light on its feet, but with enough structure to hold up to a variety of meals.”
“I find that growing these grapes and making wine with them, it’s fun to embrace their genetic heritage, being halfway between red and white, pigmentation-wise,” Daenen says. After years of experimenting with different expressions, the winemaking duo decided on five days of skin contact as the sweet spot.
When it comes to labeling, Allen and Daenen consider the bottles to be orange wines, “but the customers don’t always agree,” Daenen says. “As a result we now say ‘light orange wine, or complex rose, you decide’ on the label.”
Tom Caruso, founder and winemaker of Pray Tell Wines in Oregon’s Willamette Valley, started tinkering with skin-contact wines in 2019, and found that maceration with Pinot Gris in particular contributes impressive color and dimensionality. Now, Pray Tell’s Skin Contact bottling, made with 70 percent Pinot Gris and 30 percent Chardonnay, is one of the cuvées Caruso is most excited about.
Though the wine has an easygoing, playful vibe — the label features a nostalgic cartoon of an orange popsicle — Caruso values it for its range. “I like to joke that this wine feels like a Swiss Army Knife,” he says. “The versatility is remarkable as it straddles a line of being light on its feet, but with enough structure to hold up to a variety of meals.”
Shock Value
While the wide range of colors offered by Gris grapes may present some confusion — Is it an orange wine? Is it a rosé? — for some winemakers, that’s kind of the point. When guests walk into the Darling Wines tasting room just off of Sonoma Square and ask for a pour of Pinot Gris, they’re met with a dazzling coral-pink wine reminiscent of a Provence rosé.
“Intrigue about our process and asking a lot of ‘why’ questions is what we hope for when people walk in the door,” Tom Darling, co-founder and winemaker for Darling Wines, says. “For folks who are a bit surprised, I think it’s a fun thought exercise to change their perspective on how pink wine can be made.”
Darling started working with Pinot Gris in 2022, toying with a touch of skin contact that added some texture to the wine but didn’t impart any distinct color. For the 2023 vintage, he experimented with five days of skin contact, giving it a rosé-like appearance and adding an extra layer of body and flavor to the wine.
Perhaps these mysterious “in-between” wines will be the next trend to grab the adventurous drinker’s attention.
“We were looking for a placeholder for a rosé,” Darling says. “I had previously been making a more traditional rosé but I wanted to find something that was a little more interesting and sparked conversation with our customers.” For producers with a consumer base that’s already familiar with rosé and orange wine, these bottles present the opportunity to share something new, and maybe even a bit shocking.
Caruso of Pray Tell also enjoys making consumers do a double-take with his Pinot Gris bottling. “It has been such a fun wine to bring to the market,” he says. “Folks are always delighted by the surprise of the color and how elegant the wine is.” Caruso adds that he traditionally bottles this wine in darker glass, only revealing the deep magenta tone once it’s poured.
At a time when rosé is moving out of the cultural spotlight, and the orange wine craze appears to be peaking, perhaps these mysterious “in-between” wines will be the next trend to grab the adventurous drinker’s attention.
Here are seven bottles that showcase the range that Gris grapes have to offer.
Darling Wines Pinot Gris 2023
This wine represents the lighter side of a skin-contact Pinot Gris. With only five days of maceration, it has a gentle pink appearance that evokes the feeling of a Provence rosé. The nose is beautifully aromatic with notes of strawberries, white cherries, and guava, and the palate offers the perfect balance between body and crisp acidity.
Average price: $36
Pray Tell Skin Contact 2023
From Oregon’s Willamette Valley, this stunning dark-pink wine is a blend of 70 percent Pinot Gris and 30 percent Chardonnay. It has vibrant notes of peaches, strawberries, and jasmine flowers with a rich, rounded texture on the palate.
Average price: $28
Two Shepherds Ramato Pinot Gris 2023
A tribute to Italy’s original “ramato” style, this Sonoma Pinot Gris has a deep copper color from five days on the skins. The palate is wonderfully balanced between juicy fruit character and savory pepper notes.
Average price: $28
Radikon Sivi 2021
For a benchmark ramato-style expression, look to Radikon. This producer from Italy’s Friuli region is the reason many new producers are trying out skin-contact Pinot Gris. The nose offers perfumed notes of strawberries, prickly pear, and watermelon, while the palate is more structured and savory with hints of herbs and roasted brown sugar.
Average price: $55
Kobal Sivi Pinot 2023
Slovenia also has a rich history of producing Pinot Gris — or Sivi Pinot — with some skin-contact offerings, and this bottle from Kobal is a delicious example. It’s aromatic on the nose with watermelon, guava, and white pepper, and has a compelling texture on the palate.
Average price: $20
Pax Trousseau Gris 2022
Though this rare Gris grape hails from France, there are some interesting skin-contact examples coming out of California right now, like this soft-pink bottle from Pax. It’s punchy with bright notes of citrus and white flowers, and delivers vibrant acidity.
Average price: $30
Jolie-Laide Trousseau Gris 2023
Jolie-Laide produces an elegant Trousseau Gris with only three days of skin contact, resulting in a delicate off-pink tone. The wine has aromas of melon and citrus, but it’s mostly about the lively palate with alternating layers of freshness and roundness.
Average price: $34
The article Pinot Grigio Is Finally Cool Thanks to This Historic Winemaking Technique appeared first on VinePair.