Miceli 2007 Iolanda Pinot Gris

Victoria's Mornington Peninsula has some of Australia's largest plantings of pinot gris. This wine shows the necessary pear-like varietal character and ample fruit freshness. There's some phenolic astringency on the palate but that dissipates when food is introduced into the equation. A good wine for $18, even better for $14 at Shorty's in Rhodes Shopping Centre in Sydney.

Tim Adams 2008 Pinot Gris*

The Clare Valley's Tim Adams says he avoided mid-life crisis by plunging into new varieties such as pinot gris and tempranillo. He's made a great fist with this wine ... freshness married with fullness of varietal character, a touch of fruit sweetness perfectly balanced by crisp acidity. Perfecto. Great value at about $22 for a wine that has been resoundingly applauded by the critics.

Grey power is fine, but don't forget a couple of white classics

IT was while standing in front of the “White: Other Varieties” section of my local bottleshop that thoughts turned to the fickle finger of fashion.

I wasn’t all that surprised that were 20-odd pinot gris/grigio on the shelf, because I well know that the variety has quite a deal of appeal and had become quite trendy among the bistro set.

What surprised me were the price tags. Mostly, these were wines that were going to cost you in the vicinity of $25, while not far away I could see what I knew were excellent rieslings and semillons for $15 or so.

Now, I’ve nothing against pinot gris/grigio. I’ve contentedly slurped quite a few glasses alongside fresh seafood or white-sauced pasta dishes, but it certainly doesn’t rate among the world’s great white grape varieties.

Equally certainly, riesling and semillon do. Alongside chardonnay, sauvignon blanc and, perhaps, chenin blanc, they constitute the world’s classic white varieties.

I’m not suggesting that you avoid pinot gris/grigio this festive season. There are some fine examples out there (see left for a couple of those).

But I definitely am suggesting that you don’t ignore Australian classics such as Clare Valley and Eden Valley rieslings and Hunter Valley semillons. Like lemon, they’re an absolutely natural accompaniment to a plate of oysters or a freshly grilled piece of bream.

So, what’s the difference between a pinot gris and a pinot grigio?

Not much really. Both translate as “grey pinot”, with gris being French and grigio Italian. In tasting terms, the Italians tend to make a fresher, simpler, more upfront style, while the French, predominantly in Alsace, use the variety to make a more complex, richer, occasionally slightly sweet white wine.

If I had to select food matches, it’d be a plate of prawns with grigio, a lobster or cray with gris.

*Disclosure: John Rozentals is retained by Tim Adams Wines as a media-relations consultant.