World of Wine Grapes: Pinot Gris/Syrah – or maybe Pinot Grigio/Shiraz...

This session of our “World of Wine Grapes” course (see HERE for more details) takes a look at two grapes capable of producing dramatically different styles of wine depending and where they’re made – and who is making them…

Is it Pinot Gris or Pinot Grigio? It’s the same grape, but the styles of wine produced in France and Italy can be markedly different. Why? We’ll also try and example from south of the Equator which may be labelled Gris, or it may be labelled Grigio. Again, why? We’ll find out why in this session…

There’s a similar issue with Syrah/Shiraz. Under the former name, it’s responsible for the wonderfully fragrant wines of the northern Rhône such as Hermitage and Côte Rôtie. But as the latter, it’s associated more with bold and beefy reds from South Australia. Both have their place, as this line-up will show.

The tasting will include some cheese and crackers to compliment the wines and will include three examples each of a white grape and a red one, with the aim of demonstrating how the same basic raw material can be moulded in different ways, according to the place where the grapes grow and the desires of the winemakers.