Best of BC Pinot Gris
On May 17, we celebrate BC’s number 1 white wine. It’s our most commonly planted white variety and has the third highest acreage overall, at more than 1300 acres. It’s in the top 4 plantings for most regions across the province, performing best in a cooler climate. You may know it by two different names but it’s the same either way. In case you haven’t guessed it (or read the title) - it’s Pinot Gris!
This grape is, as the name suggests, a mutation of Pinot Noir that gives it bluish-grey skins and is used to create mostly light, approachable white wines in the dry to off-dry range. It matures relatively early which suits our shorter, northerly growing season. Rarely offensive, and intended for early consumption, Pinot Gris in BC is usually the answer when warmer weather begs the question. It may have popularity, but it doesn’t have much rizz. In many cases it can be accused of being boring, but there are always exceptions.
Pinot Gris is typically produced in one of two distinct styles. The first is a lighter, fruity but drier expression with higher acidity famously associated with northeastern Italy, and often domestic producers emulating this style will label it under its Italian name - Pinot Grigio. Just those two words alone and you know exactly what I’m talking about. Simple stainless steel fermentation means the ripeness of fruit takes the stage, and this style can offer great value both at home and abroad.
Not too far away on the same continent, we find the French region of Alsace (also this grape’s place of origin) which gives us Pinot Gris of another persuasion. In their warm, dry autumns, grapes can further mature on the vine and develop stronger, more robust flavours. Slightly longer skin contact and barrel fermentation or short-term aging on lees provide more layers of complexity, resulting in fuller, rounder wines with less acidity, and spicy notes. Off-dry styles are more common here.
The Pinot Gris produced in BC is getting better and better, and is more often dry but leaning towards the fleshier style. Producers are experimenting with different methods and focusing on single vineyards, while contending with diverse soil types and ranges of annual heat energy, among other variables. Consumers are reluctant to pay over $30 per bottle for whites so to keep wines both interesting and accessible, some BC wineries have been using concrete vessels for fermentation and aging on lees. This allows a soft and creamy texture to develop while retaining ripe fruit character without notes of spice, vanilla, or butterscotch from expensive oak.
There is not an abundance of unique character with Pinot Gris but common aromas and flavours are citrus, pear, mirabelle plum, melon, and honey. Its thicker skins often impart a waxy or musty aroma to the wine, as well as a faint hue of umber which distinguishes itself from other common whites. In addition to single-varietal wines this grape is also used in many white blends, a category in which BC excels. The Pinot Gris in this case plays a supporting role, providing good neutral body to let other more aromatic grapes like Gewürztraminer, Riesling, Viognier, or Muscat lend the highlights.
Because of its fairly neutral and approachable nature, Pinot Gris is very food-friendly and pairs easily with a wide variety of noshings. It would be obtuse to provide a thorough list of recommendations, but if you follow the fundamentals you can’t go wrong. Serve lighter bodied wines with lighter foods, and for spicier dishes look for wines with lower alcohol (which usually means a little more sweetness as well). For a sublime refreshing treat on a hot day, mix an unoaked BC Pinot Gris half and half with plain sparkling water in a tall tumbler and enjoy your weinschorle my cultured friend!
For Pinot Gris Day I’ll be featuring a few hand-selected 100% Pinot Gris to showcase the diversity of BC producers, who provided the wines for this article.
Mayhem 2024 Pinot Gris | Ancient Lakes AVA, Washington
This Pinot Gris was picked in mid September, pressed, and transported to Mayhem’s facilities as juice to begin cool fermentation - mostly in stainless but a portion was in seasoned puncheons. 4 months of lees contact enhances the soft, round texture laid down by the neutral oak. Pale gold with a touch of copper, there are medium intensity aromas of green melon, apple, and citrus with a clean, chalky personality. The acidity is pronounced on this dry Pinot Gris, but it is soft and approachable due to the winemaking decisions. Very pleasant and easy to drink, and one to reach for all day.
Tightrope 2024 Slackline Pinot Gris | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
Straight forward winemaking with cool fermentation in stainless steel and 3 months resting on lees. Giving tropical vibes, this Pinot Gris drums up candied apple, guava, white flowers, and lemon zest. Lively, ripe fruit character fills a medium-bodied palate with soft, round texture and a tangy finish. Very slick.
Poplar Grove 2024 Cascadia Pinot Gris | Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley AVAs, Washington
A combination of Pinot Gris from Horse Heaven Hills and Yakima Valley provide a balance of ripeness and freshness, topped up with 3% Viognier, 2% Sauvignon Blanc, 1.5% Chardonnay, and 1.5% Muscat. Pressed juice arrived at Poplar Grove for fermentation and blending. The nose is vibrating with steely citrus, grass, apple, pear, white blossoms, chalk, and crushed rock. An elegant Chablis impersonator with bright citrus character, a crunchy and well-balanced palate with high acid, and a stony finish. Cockles to crab cakes to croque monsieur would be well accommodated.
Fort Berens 2024 Pinot Gris ‘Here and There’ Series | Wahluke Slope AVA, Washington
Hand picked grapes were destemmed, crushed, and soaked with skins for 4 hours on site in Washington. The juice was trucked to Lillooet and fermented cold in stainless feel, followed by 4 months aging on lees. The ripe fruit of a warmer climate is evident, displaying exotic aromas and flavours of yellow plum, melon, papaya and pineapple. A nice streak of minerality adds complexity to this dry Pinot Gris. Mouth watering acidity and a honey crisp finish round out this quaffable addition to the 2024 vintage.
Dirty Laundry 2024 Pinot Gris | Yakima Valley AVA, Washington
BC’s most popular white wine, this one will sell well all season long. Yakima Valley fruit was pressed without skin contact and fermented cool. The aromas speak confidently of Asian pear, melon, star fruit, and chrysanthemum. It’s dry, and both the mouth watering acidity and pleasant finish emulate ripe and juicy orchard apples. Fruity, soft, and round is the recipe for a patio pounder of a PG if there ever was one.
Blasted Church 2024 Pinot Gris | Horse Heaven Hills AVA, Washington
After 2 hours of skin contact, the pressed juice was fermented back in Canada in stainless steel tanks. Here we have proof that a Pinot Gris, from anywhere, will reveal its true self if made well. The aromas are not assertive but the personality is there: Apple, pear, lemon peel, yellow plum, waxy melon rind, and chrysanthemum. Dry and medium-bodied, gentle fruit on the palate - this is a Pinot Gris lover’s Pinot Gris. Soft, a little creamy, and delicious.
Country Vines 2023 CONTACT Pinot Gris
Fraser Valley Pinot Gris from Country Vines’ Richmond estate is equally subdivided into 3 different conditions:
A) 4 days skin contact followed by fermentation in new French oak barrels
B) 4 days skin contact followed by fermentation in stainless steel, and
C) Fully fermented with skins
The wine is pale orange and bright on the nose with red apple, a potpourri of dried orange peel and rose petal, peach Peek Freans, and spiced cherry clafoutis. Crisp and dry on the palate, the texture is exciting and the long finish rings of orange blossom honey and spiced fruit.
Extended skin contact is apparent on this pale orange wine in a clear Alsatian bottle. There is good aroma concentration of lemon, tangerine, ginger, white pepper, and dried peach. Don’t let the colour deceive you, the wine is dry. A gentle acidity sneaks in fashionably late before a lean finish of citrus and dried stone fruit. Not what most will expect for a Pinot Gris but it’s adventurous and well made.
Arrowleaf 2022 Skin Fermented Pinot Gris
From Wendell Vineyard in Lake Country, this Pinot Gris was crushed and fermented on skins like a red wine, followed by 18 months aging in old American oak. Newly released in March 2025. This deep sunset-orange wine embraces with dried apricot, acacia honey, lemon rind, rum raisin, golden cake, and buttered marmalade toast aromas. The palate mimics a red wine with tart, rounded acidity and a smooth, unctuous mouthfeel. Dried orchard fruit and candied peel flavours cling to the persistent finish.
100% Kootenay Pinot Gris was harvested on 3 separate dates, destemmed and pressed, then cool fermented in stainless steel. 30% went through malolactic conversion to tame the mountain acidity. The concentration of varietal character is impressive, with lemon cream, spiced apple, and muskmelon. Assertive with loads of ripe acidity, firm texture, a mineral finish, and skinny appeal - apple skin, plum skin, pear skin. An impressive, varietally pure expression that should get more attention.
Hand-picked from their estate on the east side of Lake Osoyoos, whole-cluster pressed, and fermented in stainless steel. A wink of copper in this pale lemon-yellow wine is typical for the variety. Aromas are typical as well - lemon, apple, ginger, spring blossoms, musty spice, and waxy melon rind. The palate is very soft and fruity, but the flavours drop out leaving behind a thin, oily structure and mostly spice and alcohol on the slightly bitter finish. Those wary of too much acidity will find this approachable.
Kismet 2023 Pinot Grigio (Bronze, National Wine Awards of Canada)
From an Oliver vineyard, stainless steel fermented. The name points to the style, and the wine lives up to the name. A very pale straw shade, the nose is surprisingly reminiscent of the riper style from Friuli Grave: lemon, green apple, pear, white peach, mirabelle plum, and non-fruit components of wax, blossoms, and gravel. The palate is dry, light bodied and fresh with an energizing mid-palate texture. This is a fruity, well-balanced and well-executed Okanagan Pinot Grigio.
Organic Summerland fruit was given the old Georgian treatment: half juice and half whole clusters fermented with native yeast in clay amphorae, aged on skins and lees for 9 months. Without pressing, the wine was aged another 2 months in concrete tanks and underwent full malolactic conversion. This is low key natty orange wine without the haze. Concentrated aromas of lemon, grapefruit and white florals can stand up to the bold mineral façade. Fully dry, there’s plenty of citrusy acidity on the palate, still just under medium bodied. The finish is long and lean, discharging flavours of fresh and dried citrus peel. This has the legs to take it several more years, but it’s ready now.
The numbers don’t lie - Pinot Gris is immensely popular the world over and BC is no exception. Because of its consistency, it’s a safe choice if you don’t want to be surprised. Having said that, there are clearly examples where producers are really doing something different, and injecting some excitement into this category. The wines are all the same language, just with different dialects. Italians have their Pinot Grigio, Alsatians quaff their Pinot Gris, and heaven knows I can’t resist a soft, dry German Grauburgunder. As long as we keep getting high quality Pinot Gris like those featured here, we can expect it to be a top performer in BC for the foreseeable future.
This Blog Post was written by our contributor: Matt Tinney with MT Wine Consulting (@mtwineconsulting).