Pinot Gris - Central Otago

Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety thought to be a mutant clone of the pinot noir variety. It normally has a greyish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grapes can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance.

The once relatively unknown Pinot Gris (or Grigio) grape has risen by stealth to become one of Australia’s most fashionable whites, adored by the wine-drinking public.

Pinot Grigio / Gris vines were brought to Australia in 1832 as Pineau Gris from the Cote-d’Or by the father of Australian viticulture, James Busby. However, it had to wait another 150 years or so before it became an ‘instant sensation’ when Pinot Grigio pioneers Kathleen Quealy and Kevin McCarthy launched T’Gallant Wines. They recognised that the cool climate of the Mornington Peninsula in Victoria was the perfect place to grow the grape and that consumers were looking for something new.