ALL THAT’S GREAT ABOUT GRIS
Not the ‘vanilla’ you might expect – MARY-THERESE BLAIR explores New Zealand pinot gris.
IT WOULD SEEM that pinot gris is a bit like people; everywhere you go in the world it’s the same… but different. The style that we in New Zealand have embraced is fruit-forward, medium- to full-bodied gris. We make our gris with an emphasis on fleshy, juicy stonefruit characteristics and our examples sit all the way along the sweetness spectrum.
As panel leader Ben Glover is quick to point out, it’s a wine that is often maligned, associated more with the colour beige than with the wide range of delicious flavours, aromas and delicate nuances shown in thirst-quenching New Zealand gris. In fact, the range of styles presented during this tasting delighted the panel with some serious examples of pinot gris showing deftness of sweetness, pip-fruit nuances, concentration and staying power on the palate. If this is beige, he says, then beige is back.