Both of these white wine grapes are known for producing some of the world’s most popular wines. But they have very unique characteristics. Discover the main differences between Riesling vs Pinot Grigio.
If you like a crisp, dry white wine, you can’t go wrong with a Riesling or a Pinot Grigio. In fact, if you like a sweet, white wine, you’re in luck with either of these as well!
But these grapes do produce very different-tasting wines that set themselves apart from each other.
In this guide, I’ll cover the complex flavor and aroma profiles of Riesling and Pinot Grigio. Plus, I’ll recommend some ideal food pairings — and reveal what you can expect to pay for a good bottle of each.
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What is Riesling?
If you’re drawn to a wide variety of wine styles, from dry to sweet and those in between, Riesling may be the choice for you. Known for its sweeter styles for a long time, now many dry Rieslings are gaining in popularity among wine enthusiasts. And it’s becoming more common to find sparkling Rieslings.
With roots dating back more than 500 years, the first Riesling grapes were believed to have been grown in the Rhine Valley in Germany. By the mid-19th century, Riesling’s popularity among Europeans rivaled some of the great wines of France.
That would change with the advent of World Wars I and II, which destroyed many of the Riesling vineyards in Germany, resulting in a steep decline in production. It wouldn’t be until the late 20th century that Riesling would recapture its position as the most widely planted grape in Germany.
Today, Germany is still one of the top Riesling producers, but the grape is also planted in other wine regions around the world, including France (particularly in Alsace), Austria, Switzerland, the United States, Australia, and New Zealand.
What is Pinot Grigio?
Pinot Grigio — or Pinot Gris as it’s called in France and other wine producing regions — typically produce white wines featuring crisp acidity and prominent fruit flavors, in particular citrus and apple. And it can be produced in both dry and sweet styles.
The grape originated in the Burgundy area of France and dates back roughly two thousand years. In the 14th century, the Pinot Grigio grape also became widely planted in neighboring Switzerland and Italy.
Today, most Italian Pinot Grigio grapes are grown in northern Italy, in areas such as Veneto and Friuli-Venezia Giulia, which borders Slovenia.
And even though Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris is a white wine, the grape is a mutation of the same one used to make Pinot Noir red wines. That gives them a grayish-pink color. “Grigio” is the Italian word — and “gris” is French — for gray.
Apart from Italy, other growing regions for Pinot Grigio (and Pinot Gris grapes) include France, Germany, the United States, Australia, and parts of South America.
Riesling flavor profile
Riesling is an incredibly diverse grape, which produces versatile wine. From bone dry to sweet, there’s pretty much a Riesling for everyone, depending on the region and production method.
Riesling wines often have notes of citrus fruits and stone fruit flavors, like grapefruit and Meyer lemon, along with peach and pear. It’s not uncommon to taste some minerality as well.
Sweeter Rieslings can exhibit green apple and honeycomb flavors. Along with fruit, you may notice more earthy and floral aromas, too, like grass and rose blossoms.
If you’re new to Riesling, you might be surprised by the aroma. Older Rieslings in particular can often smell sort of like gasoline or burnt rubber. This is due to a natural compound called TDN, which develops as the grapes are exposed to more daylight.
And this is usually a good thing. The more pronounced the aroma, the better quality the Riesling tends to be. After all, the more daylight the grapes are subjected to, the more they can continue to ripen and develop richer flavors.
Other common Riesling aromas include honey, jasmine, and ginger.
The color of Rieslings can range from a light yellow or pale straw hue for dryer ones, to darker golden shades in richer, sweeter styles. Many have a fairly low alcohol content of around 10%-12% ABV, with the sweeter wines typically having less alcohol.
6 Classifications of Riesling
While Riesling is now grown the world over, German Rieslings comprise 6 different types of white wine. They reflect the ripeness level of the grapes when they were picked, as well as the sweetness of the wine. The wine label will note which category it belongs to. They include:
Kabinett (dry to off-dry)
Made with grapes that have just ripened, this German Riesling is light in body with a dryer finish and higher acidity levels. Fruit flavors like pear and apple are prominent. These types of wines can be produced as dry or off-dry (with some sweetness).
Spätlese (semi-dry to semi-sweet)
German for “late harvest,” Spätlese grapes have spent more time growing on the vine than those used in Kabinett. This results in richer flavor development before they’re picked, to produce fuller-bodied, more structured wines. Spätlese Rieslings come in semi-dry wine to semi-sweet styles.
Auslese (semi-sweet to sweet)
Auslese indicates wines that are made from a select harvest of grapes that are traditionally hand-picked and are affected by noble rot. That’s a fungus that causes wine grapes to shrivel, in turn concentrating the juice and increasing the sweetness level.
These German wines are usually semi-sweet to sweet, though some dry Ausleses are available.
Beerenauslese (sweet)
If you veer toward sweeter wines, you may want to try a Beerenauslese. Generally rich and very sweet, they’re often viewed as more traditional dessert wines. They feature stone fruit flavors, so not surprisingly, they complement fruitier desserts like peach cobbler. But they also pair well with richer ones like crème brûlée.
Trockenbeerenauslese (sweet)
Grapes used to make Trockenbeerenauslese sweet wine are picked very late in the harvest. In fact, they’re intentionally left on the vine until they start to shrivel. That allows the sugars to become highly concentrated. The intense sweetness of these wines goes well with sugary desserts like fruit pies, but they also complement creamy, soft cheeses.
Eiswein (sweet)
Eiswein’s are more traditional dessert Rieslings. Grapes used to make these wines freeze on the vine, so the juice is very concentrated with high sugar content. These wines have a bright acidity, which helps balance the sweetness, and they are traditionally low in alcohol.
Pinot Grigio flavor profile
Pinot Grigio is widely grown in the cooler climates of Italy’s far north. Those lower temperatures delay ripening, leaving natural sugar levels in the grapes low and acid levels high. That gives these wines a crisp, dry tartness.
Pinot Gris produced in somewhat warm climates, like those in Oregon and California in the United States and in areas of Australia and New Zealand, tend to be more fruit forward, with moderate acidity and a dry finish.
These wines and Italian Pinot Grigios feature fruity flavors of lemon, lime, and orange, as well as green apple, pear, apricot, and honey.
By contrast, much of the Pinot Gris from the Alsace region of France is made intentionally sweet by allowing them to dry on the vine or to be affected by botrytis, also called noble rot. These wines have medium to high acidity levels and a palate of cloves, cinnamon, honey, and lemon.
In terms of color, Pinot Grigio falls between pale yellow to light gold or straw. They typically are light-bodied with alcohol content in the 12.5% to 13.5% range.
Riesling food pairings
Since Rieslings come in a variety of dry-to-sweet styles, they pair with a wide range of foods.
Semi-dry or dry versions of Riesling are great options to pair with sushi and shellfish, as well as with softer cheeses. Semi-sweet Rieslings are a good choice with spicy foods like curries, Thai food, stir-frys, and Mexican food. Try a sweeter dessert wine with sweet, decadent dishes like fruit pies, custards, and crème brûlée.
Pinot Grigio food pairings
Seafood dishes pair especially well with Pinot Grigio wines, so try it with whitefish like halibut and flounder, as well as with shellfish such as shrimp, crab, and mussels.
In addition, white meats like chicken and pork, as well as brighter cheeses, pair well with Pinot Grigio. Spring vegetables like peas or even a vegetable risotto would also make a perfect match.
Price
Getting a quality bottle of either Riesling or Pinot Grigio can be fairly affordable.
Good Rieslings typically fetch around $15-$25 at local wine shops and grocery stores. Very good Rieslings will cost a bit more, starting at around the $40 range and up.
Pinot Grigio can be even more budget-friendly, with some good ones starting at around $10-$15. Higher quality ones can fall in the $25+ range
Pinot Grigio vs Riesling summary
Pinot Grigio/Pinot Gris
- Primary growing regions: Italy, France, United States, Germany
- Worldwide growing acres: 148,000
- Pinot Grigio & US Pinot Gris are dry styles; Alsace Pinot Gris is sweet
- Body: Light to medium
- Color: Pale yellow to light gold
- Acidity: Medium to high
- Flavor notes: Lime, lemon, green apple, pear, honey, apricot
- Cost: $10-$15 for ready-to-drink Pinot Grigio; $25 and up for higher quality
Riesling
- Primary growing regions: Germany, Austria, France, United States, Australia, New Zealand
- Worldwide growing acres: 89,000
- Dry to Very Sweet
- Body: Light to medium-light
- Color: Pale yellow to medium gold
- Acidity: Generally high
- Flavor notes: Pear, peach, lemon, grapefruit, green apple, honey, grass, rose blossoms, minerality
- Cost: $15-$25+
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