PINKY PINOT GRIGIO

When you think of Pinot Grigio, chances are you imagine a crisp, pale straw-coloured wine - light, refreshing, and perfect for warm afternoons. But if you’ve ever poured a glass and noticed a faint blush or even a soft coppery-pink tone, you’re not alone. And you’re about to find out why!

Pinot Grigio (known as Pinot Gris in France) is a mutation of the Pinot Noir grape. While Pinot Noir is a red grape, Pinot Grigio is considered a white wine grape. But here’s the twist: the skins of Pinot Grigio grapes aren’t green like most white wine grapes—they’re actually a grayish-blue or even pinkish-purple hue. The word "grigio" in Italian translates to "gray," which hints at this odd colouring.

And that leads us to the pinkish colour you may be seeing in a new vintage of your favourite Pinot Grigio.

In the case of Baccichetto 2024 Pinot Grigio, a few interesting occurrences led to the wine having a pink hue to it.

After the Pinot Grigio grapes were picked, they are given a few hours to soak up the colour and flavours of their skins. In winemaking, this process is called maceration and is something winemakers desire because it adds a fuller body and greater texture to a white wine.

Also, hotter climates tend to produce grapes with darker thicker skins (2024 was a warm one), increasing the chances of that blush hue showing up in the wine.

So, if your next bottle of Pinot Grigio pours a little pink, don’t be surprised. That blush is a natural result of the grape's unique skin colour, a nod to old-school winemaking techniques, or simply the expression of a particular vintage. Far from a flaw, it’s a quiet little reminder that wine is alive, variable, and always worth exploring - hue and all.