Alto Adige DOC Pinot Grigio, white wine from Alto Adige (Süd-Tirol) in northern Italy (see Alto Adige DOC) made from a minimum 85% Pinot Grigio. It can be made as a ‘passito’ or ‘vendemmia tardiva’ or ‘riserva’. The grape is also known as Ruländer or Grauburgunder, was the most cultivated white wine variety in Alto Adige/Südtirol in 2018 (see below). It is found mainly in Bassa Atesina and Oltradige.

Vineyard area: 2018 629ha.

Wine style: Pinot Grigio is a medium-bodied white wine with warm, flowery aromas resembling ripe apples, pears, quince or linden blossoms. Slim, fresh wines from the Val Venosta. Has a mineral quality in the Adige Valley. Richer versions from Bolzano and the Oltradige.

Bibliography

Burton Anderson, The Wine Atlas of Italy (Mitchell Beazley, London, 1990).

David Gleave, The Wines of Italy (Salamander Books, London, 1989).

Dr Ian D’Agata, Native Wine Grapes of Italy (University of California Press, 2014).

Nicolas Belfrage MW, Life Beyond Lambrusco (Sidgwick & Jackson, 1985). 

Nicolas Belfrage MW, From Barolo to Valpolicella—The Wines of Northern Italy (Faber & Faber, 1999).

Nicolas Belfrage MW, From Brunello to Zibibbo–The Wines of Tuscany, Central and Southern Italy (2nd edition, London, 2003).

Oxford Companion to Wine 4th edition ed. Jancis Robinson MW and Julia Harding MW (Oxford University Press, 2015).