What to Pair With Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio, aka Pinot Gris, is a dry white wine. Its main flavors are lemons, limes, white nectarine, and green apples. Other aromas this wine presents include spice, almond, and honeysuckle. This wine is generally rather dry, largely due to its high acidity. You’ll often find it as a pale gold.

Turning to the label, Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris can hint at slight style changes. If you go with a Pinot Grigio, you can expect a wine in the Italian style of a light-bodied crisp and dry taste with citrus-forward aromas. Pinot Gris, on the other hand, is made in the French style. These wines will be more full-bodied and slightly sweeter than their Italian counterparts.

Here’s a few ways you can pair your favorite Pinot Grigio.

What Pairs Well With Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio pairs best with fish, light meats, and fresh vegetables. Make these pairings to get the best from the food and the wine you serve.

Crème Brûlée

If you’d like to pair your Pinot Grigio with a dessert, you should avoid picking a particularly rich option. Crème Brûlée is sweet with a crisp caramelized sugar top resulting in a delicious dessert without overpowering a Pinot Grigio pairing.

Shrimp

Light seafood options, like shrimp. Pair well with Pinot Grigio. Just remember not to use any robust or heavy sauces. Keep your sauce and seasoning light on any shrimp and it will bring out the best flavors in both your meal and your wine.

Caesar Salad

Pair Pinot Grigio right from the start of your meal by selecting a caesar salad. Caesar salads are light and crisp which will bring out the light, hidden flavors in both salad and wine. Avoid salads with meats or heavy, punchy dressing.

Crab Cakes

Our crab cakes alongside a glass of Pinot Grigio will result in an optimal pairing. The sweet qualities in the Pinot Grigio bring out the intricate flavors within the crab cakes.

Crème Brûlée

Our crisp, sweet Crème Brûlée is the perfect pairing for your favorite Pinot Grigio. This light dessert has intricate flavors that will complement a light-bodied wine like Pinot Grigio.

The History of Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio is actually made from the white variation of the red grape Pinot Noir. This grape is unlike other white grapes with green skins. Instead, it has a unique gray to purple color. This is actually where ‘gris’ in the name comes from as ‘gris’ means grey in French. At this point, Pinot Grigio is produced in the United States, among other locations. But, this wine was originally from Italy and France.

This white wine is ‘early to market’. This means the wine can be consumed younger and can be sold soon after fermentation is complete—often in as soon as four weeks.

Our sommelier would be happy to assist you with pairing your Pinot Grigio of choice with items from our menu during your next visit.

For informational purposes only.