Five inspired alternatives to Pinot Grigio
Light, fresh and fairly neutral, it is one of the most popular wine styles out there. But if you fancy venturing beyond the familiarity of Pinot Grigio, follow our Tasting team's recommendations for some characterful alternatives...
Pinot Grigio is best known as the light Italian white; fresh and round with tropical fruit and peardrop flavours. As the quality increases and yields become lower, so the texture gains weight and the flavours become more focused with minerality coming into the frame.
Working on the key themes of texture, fruit expression and minerality, our Tastings team have picked some top Pinot Grigio alternatives to look for on restaurant winelists or the shelves of wine merchants and supermarkets.
Top Pinot Grigio alternatives:
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Wines for the weekend
Franco Terpin, Jakot, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Italy, 2011
The Friulano grape is traditionally known in the Gorizia Hills of Collio, and over the border into Slovenia, as Tokay. But it has been the...
2011
Franco Terpin
La Mesma, Indi, Gavi, Piedmont, Italy, 2015
I first tasted these wines at Slow Wine in Piedmont, and have since got to know the three Rosina sisters behind it. Grapes for this...
2015
La MesmaGavi
Argyros, Atlantis, Santorini, Aegean Islands, Greece, 2017
91
Argyros is one of Greece's best wineries, with fine bottles at every price point. This entry-level line offers excellent complexity and mineral interest, with fruit from dry-farmed 60-year-old vines on volcanic slopes. The weighty, waxy palate shows pithy citrus fruit, juicy apple and a saline tang.
2017
ArgyrosSantorini
Lidl, Fiano, Beneventano, Campania, Italy, 2017
87
Fiano is one of Italy's best-known native varieties, producing fruity, floral, honeyed whites ideal for the summer months. This example is fresh and light, with apple and sweet peardrop flavours joined by some floral hints. It has a slightly saline finish, ensuring this will pair nicely with a crisp salad.
2017
LidlBeneventano
Kozlović, Malvazija, Istria, Coastal, Croatia, 2017
90
The Kozlovic family have been making wine since 1904 and now farm 25ha. This is a serious and opulent Malvasija, showing juicy concentration of peach, mango and pear, hints of meadow flowers and saline minerality, and bright, lingering acidity
2017
KozlovićIstria
Co-op, Irresistible Marsanne, Languedoc-Roussillon, France, 2017
88
Nice to see this northern Rhône grape not only as a varietal wine, but as an affordable supermarket buy. It's a simple, straightforward drop, with a pretty floral nose and a palate that's all apricot crumble and vanilla custard.
2017
Co-op
