Must-have pinot gris is reliable but unchallenging

Summer wines are arriving by the truckload. As I write, yet another courier drops off another box of wines to taste. There are some excellent 2005 sauvignon blancs. There are some fantastic rieslings from New Zealand, Australia and Germany. And then there is pinot gris.

Pinot gris is the darling of white wine drinkers around the world today. It is made from a low-acid white grape variety that sometimes grows as a white grape but often has a pink or even red tinge of colour due it being the most common mutation of pinot noir.

Plantings of pinot gris in New Zealand have jumped from none in 1995 to 1655ha nationwide today, with further predictions for a rapid increase. Why? With its very low acids and tannins, most pinot gris is unchallenging - which is exactly why everybody wants to drink it and exactly why I don't. The problem with pinot gris, for me, is that it is generally devoid of personality.

As Hugh Johnson says in his new book Wine, A life Uncorked, wine is not one thing but many.

And in the vast spectrum of the many flavours that different wines have, I find pinot gris to be the same as all the safe, boring black T-shirts that I throw on when I am still half asleep in the morning.

This is not the same as dismissing sauvignon blanc, which might or might not be your first wine of choice but it has a personality, which is why it earns valuable export dollars for New Zealand.

Nor is it like wiping riesling off your palate because you find it too challenging. Riesling is one of the greatest grapes in the world because it makes wine that has the ability to improve in the bottle for decades and still taste as fresh as a daisy at 50 years old.

While I can personally take it or leave it - preferably leave it - pinot gris does offer three things this summer: thirst-quenching ability when chilled, as it should be; affordability (generally); and the all-important cool factor. I've found a couple of pinot gris that I would drink as opposed to taste (see Wines of the Week).

For better or for worse, pinot gris is a must-have today, just like the requisite black T-shirt.


WITHIN YOUR MEANS

2005 Lurton Pinot Gris

$17-$18

This is a pinot gris that everybody wants to drink because of its light, slightly spicy flavours, soft-mouth feel and almost bone-dry style.

Available from the Fine Wine Delivery Company and other specialist stores, or contact Bennett & Deller Wine Merchants, phone (09) 378 WINE.


THE SPLURGE

2005 Framingham Marlborough Pinot Gris

$25-$26

This Marlborough pinot gris might be a tad on the sweet side but it has good balance of flavour, with a floral aroma and long finish.

Available from specialist wine stores or contact Framingham, phone (03) 572 8884.


CELLAR PALATE

2004 Land of Fire Malbec

$15-$16

This Argentinian malbec is a definite contender for ageing. Not that it is likely to last very long when it costs so little and tastes so good right now. It is one of the best wines under $20 in New Zealand, and has a savoury, gutsy style with soft tannins and great length of flavour. Screwcap.

Available from the Fine Wine Delivery Company and other specialist stores or contact Bennett & Deller Wine Merchants, phone (09) 378 WINE.