Viticultural Information
Pinot gris
Description
Species: Vitis vinifera Pinot gris, like Pinot noir, was first described in the fourteenth century. It is widely planted throughout Europe; in the United States, Oregon growers were early pioneers in planting and promoting the variety. Pinot gris is a variant of Pinot noir that produces a grape with variable color described as pinkish, coppery gray, and brownish pink. In the vineyard, it is not uncommon to find clusters that contain one to several berries that are darkly colored and others that are white. Also, individual berries may have skins that display the entire range of colors. A white wine is made from this variety. Even more so than Pinot noir, Pinot gris requires a cool climate and a long growing season in order to maintain its slightly low acidity. To make a wine style that is typical of cool growing regions, it is harvested at no more than 23.5° Brix. In the coolest growing regions, harvest sugar level is often determined by the year since extremely cool vintages may result in fruit that is less ripe. This variety is also grown in warmer areas such as the Sierra foothills and the northern San Joaquin Valley, where it ripens easily.
People
Links
Foundation Plant Services at UC Davis is the source of Foundation grapevine material for the nursery industry, and the staff can provide information about possible sources for obtaining this stock. The National Grape Registry (NGR) contains information about varieties of wine, juice, and table grapes, raisins, and grape rootstocks available in the United States. Growers, nurseries, winemakers and researchers can find background information and source contacts for those grape varieties in this single convenient location.
Publications
Smith, R. 2003. Pinot gris (PDF). Pages 114-115 in: Wine Grape Varieties in California. University of California Agricultural and Natural Resources Publication 3419, Oakland, CA. Buy book
NGR Match
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