- Last updated on May 31, 2023
This is our comparison of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio wine. We’ve extensively researched these two popular wines to help you pick the best for you.
Wine Selection Overview
Find below our Riesling vs Pinot Grigio wine selection for you where you’ll find our recommendation for you.
Riesling Selection
Dr Loosen Dr L
Riesling
The three things that make this wine the best budget are:
1) It’s dry, light and refreshing with less fruity aromas and flavors than a Chardonnay. It’ll be a great choice for a light meal or a warm summer day.Â
2) It’s the perfect everyday white that delivers every time.
3) It costs ~$13 which is a good value for the quality you get.
Try it with a variety dishes like French fries, salty olives, salami, white fish, shrimps, and Chinese Cuisine to name some.
Read our full review here.
Nik Weis Selection Urban Riesling
The three things that make this wine the best value are:
1) It’s refreshing, off-dry and complex, which means that compared to the previous wine, this one is a little sweeter and you’ll perceive more aromas and flavors.
2) It’s a versatile wine, so you can pair it with various dishes from fish, white meat, veggie and of course creamy and semi-hard cheese.
3) It’s a great quality-price ratio. For ~$14 you get a quality Riesling for a very reasonable price.
Try it with a charcuterie board, eggplant, onion, carb, Tex-Mex, roasted pork, or Brie and it will be a delight!
Dr. L Wehlener Sonnenuhr Riesling Spätlese
There are at least four things that make this wine the best overall:
1) Extra clarity and finesse compared to the standard Riesling, i.e. it’s a whole different experience on its own.Â
2) Has many layers of complexity yet it is extremely balanced, which means that as you taste it, many layers of flavours will evolve in your mouth in a balanced a gradual way.
3) It offers great value for your money if compared to its peers, as you’ll save several $10s.
4) It can age for 10+ years, unlike other white wines allowing you to enojy over time without any fuss about it going bad.
Read our full review here.
Pinot Grigio Selection
Campagnola Pinot Grigio 2021
The three things that make this wine the best budget are:
1) It’s a bright and fruity flavor profile that makes it a refreshing and easy-drinking wine.
2) It’s the perfect everyday white that delivers every time.
3) It costs ~$8 which is unbelievable for the quality you get.
Try it with a variety of light dishes, such as salads, grilled seafood, and white meat.
Read our full review here.
Italo Cescon
Pinot Grigio
The three things that make this wine the best value are:
1) It’s a vibrant and intense flavor profile characterized by its bright acidity and notes of peach, citrus, and white flowers, which makes it stand out from other Pinot Grigio.
2) It’s a versatile wine, so you can pair it with various dishes compared to the majority of Pinot Grigio in this price range.
3) It’s a good quality-price ratio. For ~ $18 you get an high quality Pinot Grigio for a very reasonable price.
It’s the perfect summer wine to enjoy with appetizers, such as bruschetta or antipasti platters.
Read our full review here.
Vie di Romans - Dessimis Pinot Grigio 2020
There are at least three things that make this wine the best overall:
1) Terroir: the soil composition, climate, and altitude of this area can contribute to the wine’s distinct flavor profile and character.
2) Winemaking techniques: Gianfranco Gallo uses a combination of traditional and modern winemaking techniques, which can impart additional complexity and texture to the wine.
3) Aging potential: while Pinot Grigio is often considered a wine that should be consumed young and fresh, this wine has the potential to age well up to 18 years adding more complexity and depth over time.
If you’re looking for a wine to impress at your next dinner party or to savor on a special occasion, go for it.
Read our full review here.
Comparison
Let’s now take a closer look at the difference between Riesling vs Pinot Grigio so that you’ll have enough details to make an informed decision.
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: Where are they produced?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio from regions and wine styles points of view.
- The two primary features of a German Riesling is that it’s almost always produced in purity, i.e. no blending, and it’s rarely aged in oak.
German Riesling is also produced at level of sweetness. - French Riesling, or better Alsace AOC, has a higher alcohol content, usually 12%, than the German style and it’s dry.
It is more rounded thanks to its ageing in steel tank or oak barrel.
Find out more about the other Riesling styles here.
Cool climates help Pinot Grigio grow at its best and mature relatively early causing high sugar levels.Â
Depending on the vinification style, this can lead to either a wine high in alcohol if fermented to dryness, or a sweeter wine.
Minerally and Dry Pinot Grigio is primarily from the northern part of Italy and precisely Lombardia, Trentino Alto Adige, and Veneto.
Fruity and Dry Prinot Grigio is primarily from Italy (north-east Italy, Toscana, Abruzzo, and Sicilia, USA (California, Oregon, and Washington), and New Zealand.
Fruity and Sweet Pinot Gris is primarily from Alsace in France.Â
Read this article do find more about Pinot Grigio.
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: Which grapes are used to produce them?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio from a grape point of view.
Riesling is made with Riesling grapes.
Pinot Grigio is made with Pinot Grigio grapes.
Both are white-wine grape varieties of the species Vitis vinifera.
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: What's their alcohol content?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio from an alcohol content point of view.
Alcohol content or more precisely Alcohol By Volume, i.e. ABV, measures the alcoholic strength of a drink.
There is a direct relationship between the sugar left in the wine after the alcoholic fermentation has taken place, i.e. Residual Sugar or RS, and ABV.
During the alcoholic fermentation, the yeast transforms the sugar in the grape juice into alcohol.
Grapes with high residual sugar will therefore produce dry wine with a high ABV.
Depending on the different styles, Riesling’s ABV is usually between 9% to 12%, whereas Pinot Grigio’s ABV ranges between 10% to 14%.
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: What's their taste profile?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio from a taste profile point of view.
Riesling is produced in a variety of styles and at all level of sweetness. Find out more here.
Expect high acidity, light to full body, dry to sweet and an ABV that ranges between 10%-12%.
Typical notes for just-ripe grapes are green and citrus fruit, i.e. apple, pear, lemon and lime.
For ripe grapes you should expect stone and tropical fruit, i.e. peach, apricot, mango and pineapple.
If you happen to perceive gasoline as well, don’t worry as it’s actually pretty normal for aged and high quality Riesling.
Pinot Grigio (minerally and fruity style) it’s known for its dryness, high acidity, light-body, lemon, and apple notes.Â
Pinot Gris (Alsace) on the other hand has more body, lower acidity, more complexity, and is sweeter.
Here is a brief overview of Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris typical flavors:
- Pinot Grigio Minerally and Dry: apple, lemon zest, mineral.
- Pinot Grigio Fruity and Dry: apple, lemon, white peach, pear, creamy.
- Pinot Gris Fruity and Sweet: sweet lemon candy, honey, ginger, spice, ripe pear.
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: Are they sweet or dry?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio in terms of sweetness level or residual sugar.
The sweetness level of a wine is expressed in grams of sugar per liter, aka g/L, or as a percentage.
10 g/L equals 1% which, if you are interested, represents 6 calories per 5 oz serving.Â
You will usually find Riesling produced at all level of sweetness from dry to sweet.
On the other side you can find Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris in various sweetness levels, that goes from dry to sweet.
- A dry wine contains less than 15 g/L.
- An off dry wine contains between 15-30 g/L.
- A sweet wine contains between 50-100 g/L.
Learn more about wine sweetness level here.
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: Which are the recommended food pairings?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio from a food pairings point of view.
Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris pairings depend on the style.
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: How should you serve and store them?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio in terms of serving and storing the wine.
Riesling doesn’t need to be decanted. Serve it at 43 – 46 °F (6 – 8 °C) in a Viognier glass for non dessert wine or a Fortified glass for dessert wine.Â
The recommended storage period is up to 10+ years.
Pinot Grigio shouldn’t be decanted. The service temperature and the storing period depend on the style.
For Minerally and Fruity Pinot Grigio serve at 45 – 50 °F (7 – 10 °C) in a Pinot Grigio or Viognier glass.[1]
The recommended storing period is 2-3 years for normal bottles.
For Pinot Gris off-dry serve at 45 – 50 °F (7 – 10 °C) in a Pinot Grigio or Viognier glass. For Pinot Gris, sweet serve at 43 – 56 °F (6 – 8 °C) in a Fortified glass.Â
Riesling vs Pinot Grigio: How much do they cost?
Here you’ll find a brief overview of Riesling vs Pinot Grigio from a price comparison point of view.
Let’s start by saying that both wines are affordable.
For Riesling you’ll find good entry level bottle between $10-$20.Â
Great bottles will generally be around $30-$50 and outstanding bottles and usually ice wine, spätlese and auslese can go up to $100.
For those of you who are after the luxury segment be prepared to spend several $100s.
Pinot Grigio is an affordable wine. The price generally ranges from $10 – $30. Where $10 is usually the IGT Italian style and $30 the Alsatian style.
Our Verdict
If you have been through the guide, by now you are a Riesling vs Pinot Grigio expert!
Both Riesling and Pinot Grigio are great wines and by now you should have a good idea of what to expect from them.  Â
Our recommendation is therefore based on what you’d fancy the most at a particular given moment or event.Â
Are you after the freshness and variety of sweetness that Riesling can offer?
You cannot resist the crispiness and lightness of a Pinot Grigio, can you?
Our recommendation for Best Value Pinot Grigio is Italo Cescon Pinot Grigio and for Best Overall is Vie di Romans Dessimis Pinot Grigio 2020.
As always make sure to serve them at the right temperature to enjoy them at their best.
