What Does Pinot Grigio Taste Like? (Quick Guide)

by Philip Thompson
10 August, 2023

It’s perhaps one of the most popular styles of white wine, but what does Pinot Grigio taste like?

And do all Pinot Grigio wines taste the same?

What Does Pinot Grigio Taste Like?

Not all Pinot Grigio wines are grown in the same place and made in the same way and as a result their tastes can differ, its why wine is such an exciting beverage.

There are, however, a lot of characteristics that most Pinot Grigio varieties have in common.

Pinot Grigio wine tends to be light, dry, crisp and fruity with tasting notes of:

Meyer lemons

Limes

Crisp green apple

Nectarines

Faint notes of honey and honeysuckle

and even pear blossom too

So how can you properly taste Pinot Grigio?

How To Taste Pinot Grigio? (3 Step Method)

Ways to Taste Pinot Grigio Wine tasting may seem daunting at first, but the trick to tasting Pinot Grigio is in learning how to break down the sugar, acidity and tannins in your glass.

Step 1. Identify Sweetness

Not all Pinot Grigios are dry and these wines can range from dry to super sweet, depending on how much residual sugar is present in your glass.

Why not pinch your nose when next taking a sip of your next Pinot Grigio?

If you can’t taste any sugar then, chances are you definitely have a dry wine on your hands, but if you can taste some sweet flavours then you have an off-dry to sweet wine in your glass.

Step 2. Determine The Acidity

A great way to determine how acidic your white wine is is by paying attention to how much saliva your mouth produces in response - it literally makes your mouth water!

You can tell pretty much immediately how acidic your Pinot Grigio is depending on how literally your mouth is drooling over the taste.

Step 3. Taste The Tannins

Tannins are present in lots of wines but white wines aren’t one of them. And this includes Pinot Grigio.

You see tannins are found in the skins of grapes and all white wines are made with zero skin contact.

Zero skin contact equals zero tannins. That’s the rule.

So how do these factors of sweet, acid and (zero) tannin affect the taste of Pinot Grigio?

What Affects The Taste ofPinot Grigio

The taste of a Pinot Grigio is determined by lots of things, acidity and sugar being one of them.

Sweet Pinot Grigios may have lots of flavours of ripe pineapple and honeysuckle, for example.

And very acidic Pinot grigios will sing with the citrus zing of lime zest, green pear and maybe even soft hints of orange.

So what characteristics tend to be associated with Pinot Grigio?

What Are Pinot Grigio Characteristics

Here are some of the characteristics associated with a typical glass of Pinot Grigio:

Body - Pinot Grigios tend to be quite light in body, making them an easy drinking white wine

Tannins - There should be zero tannins present in your glass of Pinot Grigio, any drying sensation will be down to a lack of sugar in the glass.

Sweetness - This will vary across wines, and Pinot Grigio can come in all ranges of sweetness so pay attention to what sugary sensations you are getting from your glass.

Dryness - Not all Pinot Grigios are dry! So look out for any sugary characteristics in the glass and if you can’t spot them chances are you have a dry white wine.

ABV - Pinot Grigio will vary in alcohol percentage, expect an ABV between 11-13% with this style of wine.

But do different types of Pinot Grigio have different characteristics? What do the different types of Pinot Grigio taste like?

3 Types of Pinot Grigio Tastes

Here are some of the most common styles of Pinot Grigio you may come across and the tastes and characteristics associated with them:

1. Italian Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio makes a classic example of dry white wine when grown in Italy.

Italian Pinot Grigio has lots of mouth watering acidity with tasting notes of green apple, crisp pear and meyer lemons.

2. French Pinot Gris

Different country, different name and, you guessed it, a different taste too!

When grown in France Pinot Gris tends to be oilier and more perfumed with notes of ripe apricot, peach syrup and sweet honeysuckle perfume.

3. Australian Pinot Grigio

Expect a really fruity expression of the grape here, with lots of juicy peaches, nectarine and even hints of tropical fruit like pineapple.

Before You Go...

There really is a Pinot Grigio for everyone and with a whole wide range of styles and flavours there’s lots of fun to be had tasting your way through the entire spectrum of Pinot Grigio wine.

You can read our other guides about Pinot Grigio here:

You can browse more posts on Wine Serving and Tasting here

Expert Wine Storage can help you find a luxury wine fridge to store your precious wine collection.