If pinot noir is the highly strung, thin-skinned, fickle mistress of grapes – its mutant sister probably shouldn’t be much better.
But pinot gris is comparatively easygoing, according to one of New Zealand’s leading winemakers.
That’s partly because of its treatment in the winery, says Matt Connell.
Whereas pinot noir gets the works – partial or whole bunch fermentation, maceration and oak maturation – its paler relative typically enjoys a much simpler regime.
The Acid Test
In New Zealand, that generally means a long, slow, cool ferment in stainless steel with some aromatic yeasts and maybe some lees stirring to add texture.
Pinot Gris is also regarded as hardier in the vineyard with a slightly thicker skin than its more delicate red counterpart.
Connell, whose wines come from Central Otago, says the grape is helped by the area’s high diurnal range.
“We have really high acidity in Central Otago,” he said.
“That helps the grapes carry higher sugar levels and keep them in balance. It makes for a much richer wine style which I like.”
Connell said there was some local experimentation with the variety in terms of fermentation vessels. Concrete vats, stainless steel eggs and amphora were all being tried by winemakers wanting to add texture and complexity to the variety.
Pinot gris is traditionally fermented in large, old oak vessels. However Connell said he avoided any oak exposure as maturation in even old or “neutral” wood tended to “dry out” the wines.
Drying off
He preferred to add texture through lees exposure and some stirring in tank.
Perhaps the most important development in NZ pinot gris has been the move towards drier styles.
As with riesling, NZ pinot gris has tended to carry higher residual sugar levels in the past with wines often presenting as off-dry.
Connell said NZ drinkers now appeared to be following a global trend towards drier wines as they became more experienced with different varieties.
Wine show judges assessed 257 New Zealand pinot gris exhibits last year across 167 individual labels.
Unlike Australia, where one-third of all pinot gris is produced in the lighter “grigio” style, only four of the 167 labels judged here were presented as “pinot grigio”. All four were destined for the Australian market.
Ditching the Italians
Connell ventured that Australia’s split preference for the style was because of the large number of Italians in Australia. He also felt New Zealand’s pinot gris presented differently to the Australian versions.
“We use a lot more stainless steel in New Zealand,” he said. “Our fruit has higher acidity and our aromatics can be a bit fresher here so our wines are a bit more fruit-forward.”
Our list of New Zealand’s top Pinot Gris of 2025 follows. The top three can be found here
Read the full list of NZ’s top Pinot Gris at https://mattsays.substack.com/