If you are not a wine connoisseur and want to learn more about two of the most popular white wines, where they come from, and how to pair them successfully with your next outing, look no further. You need to know the difference between Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc.

 

The difference between Pinot Grigio Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc is the grape varieties and the taste profiles – Pinot Grigio varies from creamy to sour and light while Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and dry. Pinot Grigio hails from Italy and France and Sauvignon Blanc, France.

 

While both wines may look similar, their taste profiles are vastly different. Both wines are excellent choices to share over meals or for great conversation, infused with beautiful fruity notes. Let us look at the main differences between Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.

 

Main Differences Between Pinot Grigio, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc

The main differences between these two white wines are as follows;

• Pinot Grigio is made from grey-blue grapes
• Chardonnay is made from green grapes.
• Pinot Grigio is light and sour.
• Pinot Grigio is a more balanced wine.
• Sauvignon Blanc has many undertones of green apple, lime, and peach.
• A few Sauvignon Blanc wines may also contain some aromas of gooseberry, a bit of grass, and bell pepper.
• Pinot Grigio is mostly dry and is a good wine to combine with a few dishes.

 

What Style Of Wine Is Pinot Grigio?

While many believe Pinot Grigio was originated in Italy, It was born In France, like most popular grapes where Pinot Grigio is known as Pinot Gris. Although it is a mutation of red grapes, Pinot Gris, Pinot Noir’s skins aren’t green like other grapes; they are instead grey-blue, which gave them their name.

 

Pinot Grigio is a dry, light, not a sweet wine. It is also infused with lemon-lime, pear, peach, and apricot. You’ll also notice smells of baking spices, almonds, or honeysuckle.

 

Pinot Grigio is a fresh white wine that’ll refresh you like a cold glass of lemonade on a hot day.

 

Minerally and Dry Pinot Grigio

The thinnest styles look at the Alps for motivation. This is where you’ll see Pinot Grigio growing in sloped, high valleys from Italy Throughout Austria, Hungary, and Slovenia. The mountains are powerful on agriculture here, making sure the grapes keep their bitterness.

 

The result in the wine is thin and lively. This style of Pinot Grigio goes well with foods like French fries, mussels, and a hot day. For most, this is the typical Pinot Grigio loved for its effortlessness, citrus, and slightly salty quality.

 

Fruity and Dry Pinot Gris

Winemakers regularly Choose the word “Pinot Gris” to define this wine variety’s more fruit-motivated style. Flavors of yellow apple, white peach, and lemon with a richer and more oily touch. Besides the fruity aromas, the wine has a less intense bitterness and more of an “oily” texture.

 

This results from the winemakers usually adding a specific bacteria once the alcohol fermentation changes sharp-tasting acids into smooth-tasting acids. This process is called Malolactic Fermentation.

 

Fruity & Sweet Pinot Gris

The most popular sweet Pinot Gris comes from Alsace, France. For eras, Alsace tried to reconstruct the very sweet white wine named Tokaji. Drunk by kings in the Ottoman Empire (now Hungary) and Transylvania. Until 2007, Alsace would use the words “Tokay d’Alsace” on their wine bottles of Pinot Gris.

 

Today Alsace is one of the few regions globally making a sweet Pinot Gris with flavors such as crisp honey apples, honeycomb, and sweet lemon candy. Winemakers use extremely advanced winemaking methods to raise the texture or mouthfeel and use noble rot and late harvest grapes to maximize the flavor.

 

What Style Of Wine Is chardonnay?

Chardonnay can taste dissimilar, depending on where it is grown and how it’s made, and the terroir has a big influence on the taste profile. Typically Chardonnay is dry, medium to full-bodied wine with moderate alcohol and bitterness.

 

Its flavor ranges from papaya and pineapple to lemon and apple and shows records of vanilla as it’s aged with oak.

 

Sparkling Chardonnay – Blanc de Blancs

Chardonnay is one of the most popular white wines, and it is commonly used in sparkling wines, including Champagne. Blanc de Blancs goes very well with salty fried foods like fried chicken and calamari.

 

Sparkling wines made with Chardonnay are called Blanc de Blancs, which means “white of whites” and shows what color the grapes were used to make the wine. Blanc de Blancs wine ranges in tastes of toasted vanilla, hazelnut yellow apple, Meyer lemon, and honeycomb to honeysuckle, lemon zest, minerals, and lime.

 

Creamy Oaked Chardonnay

The bolder the Chardonnay, the better it matches with creamy dishes such as leek and ham pie, lobster bisque and chicken, and mushroom risotto.

 

If you enjoy full-bodied white wine, this is for you. Wines range from heavier taste profiles such as grilled pineapple, lush tropical fruit vanilla, and butterscotch to lighter profiles such as lemon curd, poached pear, a textural chalky minerality, and baked apple.

 

Citrusy Unoaked Chardonnay

If you prefer a light white wine with citrus and floral flavors, then unaged Chardonnay is for you.

 

Wines range between fruity and floral profiles: mango, yellow apple, and fresh pineapple.

 

And for floral, more of a citrus peel, green apple, pear, and white flowers.

 

Where Is Pinot Grigio Made?

Pinot Grigio was made in northern Italy. Pinot Grigio is a grape grown around the world and grown across a variety of countries such as:

 

• Italy: – Alto Adige, Trentino, and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
• Germany: Rheinhessen, Rheingau, and Pfalz.
• Austria: Plantings in Austria can be looked for in parts of Steiermark and Burgenland.
• Canada: Canada shows great potential with wines from Ontario and the Okanagan.
• Others: When you’re in a specialty wine store, look into Romania, Chile, Slovenia, and Hungary.
• United States: Great choices are Washington state, California, Oregon. Pinot Gris is Oregon’s second most significant wine grape.
• Oceania: New Zealand and Australia both have big Pinot Gris plantings presented in a more fruity style.
• Others: While it’s harder to find, Argentina and South Africa offer Pinot Gris in a fruitier and richer style.

Were Is Sauvignon Blanc Made?

Because Sauvignon Blanc has such a unique taste, it is usually made as a varietal wine, a wine made from a single origin or variety of grapes rather than mixed with other grapes. Sauvignon blanc wines are most notably found in the Bordeaux region of France as well as in:

 

• The Loire in France
• New Zealand
• California
• Chile
• South Africa

Best Suggested Food Pairing For Pinot Grigio

Pinot Grigio is best when paired with fresh, light, and zesty flavors as a neutral and delicate wine. Dishes perfect with Pinot Grigio are summer salads, chicken salads, wraps, risottos, and grilled or creamy seafood.

 

Because Pinot Grigio has elevated acidity, it is perfect to pair with any seafood. Salmon, trout, white meat fish, prawns, calamari, oysters, and shellfish. Dark meat fish like tuna does not pair well with the Pinot Grigio.

 

Further to the chicken and seafood, Pinot Grigio also pairs well with vegetarian antipasto, seafood pasta, or any vegetarian-based meal.

 

Suggested Food Pairing For Sauvignon Blanc

There is no better wine to pair with goat’s cheese, herb-infused chicken, feta dominant garden salads, oily white fish, and an array of Asian dishes than a Sauvignon Blanc. It creates the perfect balance between the wine profile and the delectable dishes.

 

A Sauvignon Blanc is a great choice with a wide variety of roasted or raw vegetarian dishes like peppers, leafy green salads with asparagus, nuts, croutons, and cucumber.

 

Conclusion

While both wines originate from similar regions in France, that is the only similarity you will notice. Their differences are unique and make each style of wine a winner when paired with the perfect food group.

 

When in doubt next time you are in a French or Italian restaurant, order any of these two premium white wines with confidence and experience their remarkable and unique differences.