Same same but different - part 1
Directions
Just can’t get your head around Gris v Grigio? Don’t know the diff between Shiraz and Syrah?
You’re not alone. If names are your Betty Noire, this WineDown is for you.
Part 1: The Pinots Gris & Grigio
The enfants terribles of the colourful Pinot family have been stumping people for years. Fact is, these rosy-skinned mutant clones of Pinot Noir are identical. They both make delicious white wines, that are genetically the same, but stylistically different. It’s really just a matter of where they call home. For Gris, it’s France (gris is French for grey); for Grigio it’s Italy (lingo ditto).
Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris claims Alsace, in the far north-eastern corner of France as its spiritual home. There, it makes spicily perfumed, textural styles with good body weight and a bit of residual sweetness. These luscious food wines have the chops to take on quite full-flavoured dishes - like foie gras and even venison.
Pinot Grigio
Across the Alps, and south to Italy, Pinot G takes on a different name - and a markedly different style. In the Friuli and Veneto regions of Northern Italy, Pinot Grigio is a lighter-bodied, crisp white wine, with fresh and vibrant stone fruit and floral aromas.
Meanwhile, here in Oz
Pinot G has been in Australia since the days of James Busby, but it was largely ignored until in the 1990s, when Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy, established T’Gallant - a Mornington Peninsula winery dedicated to the many expressions of Pinot G. Though its founders have since moved on, T’Gallant remains one of the country’s leading proponents and promoters of the variety.
Simply:
Grigio is gorgeous and it’s hard to dis a Gris.
Part 2: Syrah & Shiraz
Syrah
Syrah is the celebrated grape of France’s Northern Rhône. In all likelihood, it arrived when the Romans did, and stayed. Its most famous expressions are Hermitage and Côte Rôtie (where it’s sometimes given a splodge of fragrant Viognier to add perfume). Northern Rhône Syrah is dense, savoury, peppery, and famously long-lived.
Shiraz
When Shiraz arrived on Australian soil in 1832 - courtesy James Busby and his trusty secateurs - it was clearly labelled Syrah. No-one knows why we thought a re-name was in order. Maybe it was just an early example of our fondness for appending zeds to the things we love (prezzie… wozza… Shaz… Gaz… Muzz). The fact is that Shiraz is simply Aussie for Syrah. Over time, the name has come to imply the stylistic differences between our plush, full-bodied, chocolate-and-berry examples, and the more restrained yet dense savoury styles of the Old World.
Simply:
Maz and Gaz enjoy Shiraz, but Jacques prefers Syrah.
NEXT WEEK, the revelations continue as WineDown unmasks part 3 - Mourvèdre, Mataro and Monastrell; and part 4 - Zinfandel, Primitivo and - I’ll only say this once - Crljenak Kaštelanski.
You heard.