The 19 Best Pinot Grigios for 2025

Ah, Pinot Grigio, a zesty white wine that is as refreshing as a cold glass of lemonade on a hot summer’s day. The second most popular white wine in America, Pinot Grigio (a.k.a. Pinot Gris) is a dry white wine that has a punchy acidity with flavors of lemons, limes, green apples and honeysuckle.

While most believe Pinot Grigio originated in Italy, it was actually born, like many of the most popular grapes of the world, in France, where it is known as Pinot Gris. Thought to be a mutation of the red grape Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris’ skins are not green like other white grapes, but instead have a greyish blue hue, which is what gives them their name.

The wine was born in Burgundy but found its way to Switzerland in the 1300s, where it was considered a favorite of the emperor. From here the grape made its way to northern Italy, and the real story of Pinot Grigio was born.

In Italy, Pinot Gris became Pinot Grigio and the wine found wide success in the regions of northeastern Italy: Lombardy, the Veneto, Friuli, Trentino, and Alto Adige. From its footing in northern Italy, the wine grew to become the most popular white wine in all of Italy, and then the most popular imported white wine in the U.S.

Pinot Grigio is commonly grown in Lombardy, the Veneto, Friuli, Trentino, (pictured) and Alto Adige

Pinot Grigio has its haters among wine snobs, who claim the wine is too “simple” and “uninteresting,” but this mostly stems from the fact that because Pinot Grigio is so popular, its popularity has resulted in some very bad mass-produced bottles that have given the wine a bad name. One of the best ways to ensure you drink delicious and interesting Pinot Grigio is to simply avoid the budget bottles and the wines being sold under huge mass-marketing campaigns.

The 19 Best Pinot Grigios for 2025

Pinot Grigio takes on many identities. In Italy, where it’s known as Pinot Grigio, it’s typically associated with crisp, citrus-driven white wines. In France’s sunny Alsace region, where it’s known as Pinot Gris, the grape variety lends itself to rich, tropical wines.

In the U.S., we see wines labeled under both names, and each of them is equally exciting. From round, waxy Pinot Gris bottlings from the Willamette Valley to refreshing expressions from Virginia, there’s a great new set of wines to explore in this category.

Regardless of what the winemaker calls it, it’s what’s in the glass that matters. We tried wines in both styles and found the best of the best. Here are the 19 best Pinot Grigio/Gris wines for 2025.

Why You Should Trust VinePair

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Within this scope, VinePair’s tasting and editorial staff samples thousands of bottles every year. This ensures we have a close eye on what’s new and exciting. Crucially, it also provides us with the context needed to distinguish the simply good from the truly great, whether from a quality or value-for-money perspective — or both.

Ultimately, our mission is to offer a clear, reliable source of information for drinkers, providing an overview applicable to day-to-day buying and drinking. Learn more about VinePair’s tastings and reviews department here.

How We Taste

We believe in tasting all products as our readers typically would: with full knowledge of the producer and — importantly — price. Our tastings are therefore not conducted blind.

VinePair’s tasting panel evaluates every wine on its aromas, flavors, structure, balance, and quality. We also consider whether or not the wine showed typicity for its specific grape or region.

How We Compiled This List

In order to provide our readers with the most comprehensive and thoroughly tested list of the best Pinot Grigios to buy, VinePair invited producers, distributors, and PR firms working on their behalf to send samples for consideration. These bottles were submitted free of charge — producers didn’t pay to submit nor did VinePair pay for the products. All were requested with the clear understanding that submission does not guarantee inclusion in the final list.

For the Pinot Grigio roundup, we assigned a score to each product on a 100-point scale based on the quality and intensity of its aromas, flavors, texture, and finish. Then we reviewed all scores and compiled an editorially driven list that meets our criteria of best Pinot Grigios to buy right now. Each wine was assessed on quality, price, and availability to compile the final list.

The Best Pinot Grigio From the U.S.

Sweet Cheeks Winery Oak Hill Reserve Pinot Gris 2022

In the U.S., we can see two different names for this variety on our labels: the Italian Pinot Grigio or the French Pinot Gris. Producers in the U.S. often use the name as an indication of style, with the former offering a crisp, light-bodied expression and the latter boasting a rounded, fruit-forward wine.

Oregon’s Willamette Valley has developed a tradition of leaning into the richer, more expressive side of the grape, often labeling its wines Pinot Gris. And this bottle from Sweet Cheeks Winery is a great example.

Winemaker Leo Gabica lets this wine sit on the skins for a brief 12 hours to add some depth, then the wine is aged in 25 percent neutral French barrels and 75 percent stainless steel tanks. All of this comes through in the wine. It has a waxy, floral nose with a juicy palate and a slight grip. There’s a bit of heat from the alcohol — which sits at 13.5 percent ABV — adding to the wine’s rich character.

Average Price: $38
Rating: 93

The Best Pinot Grigio from Outside the U.S.

Jermann Pinot Grigio 2024

Northeastern Italy is home to the widely popular crisp, acidic, light-bodied version of Pinot Grigio. Most of these wines come from Trentino-Alto Adige, but there are also delightful expressions coming out of Friuli, a hilly region bordering Slovenia.

This bottle, from benchmark Friulian producer Jermann, continues to be the best affordable Pinot Grigio from this region on the U.S. market.

It’s made with estate-grown grapes from 25-year-old vines, grown on the region’s famed mineral-rich “ponca” soils, and aged for six months on the lees in stainless steel tanks. The nose is subtle with bright citrus fruit aromas of freshly squeezed lemon and orange zest. The texture of the wine is just right, with a creamy depth lifted by refreshing acidity and minerality.

Average Price: $35
Rating: 94

The Best of the Rest:

The Best Pinot Grigios Under $20

Barboursville Vineyards Pinot Grigio 2024

The Zonin family, owners of Barboursville Vineyards, has proven that Italian varieties can work and thrive in the Commonwealth of Virginia. This Pinot Grigio is a great example, with aromas of white pepper, pears, and waxy flower petals on the nose. The palate is soft, deep, and mineral-driven, with expressive fruit balanced by acidity.

Average Price: $17
Rating: 93

Kings Ridge Pinot Gris 2024

Screw cap, affordable, easy to find, and tasty. This is insane quality for the price. The nose is calm with subtle notes of jasmine, citrus, and stone fruits. The palate is full of juicy apricot flavors and offers a rich texture that would suggest a price tag much higher than $17.

Average Price: $17
Rating: 93

The Best Pinot Grigios Under $30

Cantina Valle Isarco Pinot Grigio 2024

This wine comes from the high-elevation vineyards of Alto Adige. It offers a savory nose of white pepper, aloe, and minerals. The palate is well-balanced, with crisp apple and pear notes, a hint of almond skin, and a thirst-quenching acidity.

Average Price: $20
Rating: 92

Luisa Pinot Grigio 2024

Friuli and Pinot Grigio go hand in hand, and this bottling is a great example of what the region has to offer. It’s lightly floral on the nose with fresh orange blossom and honeysuckle aromas. The palate offers ripe tropical fruit and citrus, with a slight grip around the edges.

Average Price: $20
Rating: 92

Flying Fox Winery Pinot Gris 2022

This Virginia winemaker opted for the Pinot Gris on the label here, using the French term over the Italian. In Virginia we’ve seen both — and we’re here for it. This expression from the Shenandoah AVA is wonderful with a subtle nose of green apple and lime zest. The mouthfeel is rich and round with bright acidity breaking through the depth. Bravo!

Average Price: $22
Rating: 93

Cantina Andrian Pinot Grigio 2024

This rich, expressive Pinot Grigio comes from the mountainous Dolomite region of northern Italy. It has a waxy nose with hints of honey, melon, and citrus. There’s a very nice balance on the palate with good fruit depth and supportive acidity.

Average Price: $22
Rating: 92

Abbazia di Novacella Pinot Grigio 2024

Located in the town of Novacella in the Isarco River Valley, this estate was founded in 1142 by the Augustinian Order of Canons Regular. It is, to this day, one of the oldest working abbeys in Italy. They also make some incredible wine. This Pinot Grigio offers a compelling medium-bodied take on the grape with aromas of pears, honey, and minerals on the nose, and rich, ripe tropical fruit on the palate.

Average Price: $22
Rating: 92

Strasserhof Pinot Grigio 2023

This Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige is all about the texture and mouthfeel. It has a mineral-driven nose with subtle fruit notes. The palate is deep and calm with incredible acidity and depth. It’s simultaneously refreshing and engaging. It’s not often we see an aged wine from this grape, but the structure here is a good indication that this bottle can evolve over a few years.

Average Price: $23
Rating: 94

Hark Vineyards Pinot Gris 2023

Virginia not only makes great wine from this variety, the state also plays with different expressions of it. This unique example from the Monticello AVA has a rich, deep nose of pears roasted with herbs and salted butter. The mouthfeel is excellent with soft, viscous fruit balanced by bracing acidity.

Average Price: $25
Rating: 93

Landmark Vineyards Pinot Gris 2024

The fruit for this wine is sourced from Landmark’s Hop Kiln Estate Vineyard in the heart of the Russian River Valley. The producer shares that this is a wine made with meticulous patience, waiting for just the right moment to pick — leading to a vibrant expression of the grape. The resulting wine offers a uniquely floral nose, with aromas of honeysuckle mingling with pear and melon notes. It has a round, juicy palate and a grippy edge with a lingering finish.

Average Price: $25
Rating: 92

The Best Pinot Grigios under $50

Massican Pinot Grigio 2024

Dan Petroski came to Napa Valley to make wine and ended up flipping the wine script. Instead of the standard Cabernet Sauvignon, Petroski took inspiration from the Italian peninsula, via the peaks and valleys of Northern California. This is his second vintage of Pinot Grigio for Massican, and the 2024 is really blossoming. The nose is inviting with floral aromas and subtle orchard fruit notes. The mouthfeel is immediately refreshing while showing nice fruit depth. A California alternative for when you’re not having a Chardonnay kind of day.

Average Price: $32
Rating: 93

Alexana Estate ‘Hillsides’ Pinot Gris 2024

As the Willamette Valley gets more and more excited about Chardonnay — and for good reason — we can’t forget the valley’s first signature white wine grape: Pinot Gris. This bottling is made with a selection of three old-vine, hillside plots across the Willamette Valley AVA and Dundee Hills AVA. The nose brings notes of salted butter, almonds, and freshly sliced apples. The palate is juicy and focused with excellent harmony between depth and acidity.

Average Price: $35
Rating: 93

Livio Felluga Pinot Grigio 2023

Livio Felluga is a commanding presence in the U.S. market, showing us how delicious wines from Friuli can be. The winery’s entry level Pinot Grigio has a subtle nose with delicate notes of peaches, white flowers, and herbs. It offers a rich, round mouthfeel with soft notes of baked apples and apricots, lifted by fresh acidity.

Average Price: $35
Rating: 92

Catch & Release Wines ‘Lover Girl’ Pinot Gris 2023

This wine is an example of just how diverse a grape like Pinot Grigio can be. The fruit is sourced from a biodynamically farmed vineyard in the cool Anderson Valley and is whole-cluster pressed before aging on the lees in neutral French oak for 10 months. The nose is savory and mineral-driven with notes of roasted pear, rosemary, and sea salt. The palate has a good weight to it with a wonderful balance between rounded texture and racy acidity.

Average Price: $35
Rating: 92

King Estate Domaine Pinot Gris 2023

Oregon’s King Estate makes a wide range of Pinot Gris expressions. This bottling comes from a selection of four blocks on the estate and is aged in stainless steel tanks on the lees for eight months before release. This leads to a wonderfully bright, refreshing expression of the grape. It opens with aromas of honeysuckle and lemon zest, and finishes with ripe fruit notes and vibrant acidity.

Average Price: $40
Rating: 92

Garré Vineyard & Winery Pinot Grigio 2024

The Livermore Valley AVA is known mostly for the famous Wente clone of Chardonnay that is used across California. But according to this wine, Pinot Grigio would like to have a word. This bottling from Garré Vineyard & Winery brings a subtle, mineral-driven nose with hints of apple and citrus. The palate is soft with good depth and calm acidity.

Average Price: $44
Rating: 91

The Best Pinot Grigios Over $50

Peter Zemmer Pinot Grigio Riserva Giatl 2022

This riserva bottling from Peter Zemmer shows the fuller-bodied side of Alto Adige Pinot Grigio. It has an earthy nose of roasted apples and softened, salty butter. The palate is rich and refreshing with notes of tropical fruit and vanilla. There’s a slight heat from the hearty 14.5 percent ABV that adds to the wine’s character.

Average Price: $57
Rating: 93

FAQs

What country has the best Pinot Grigio?

Northeastern Italian regions, such as Lombardy, the Veneto, Friuli, Trentino, and Alto Adige, are best known for Pinot Grigio production. However, today Pinot Grigio is widely grown in many countries around the world including the United States, Australia, and France.

Do all Pinot Grigio taste the same?

Specific flavors are dependent on terroir but, generally speaking, Pinot Grigio is a dry white wine that has a punchy acidity with flavors of lemons, limes, green apples, and honeysuckle.

How do you pick a good Pinot Grigio?

Pinot Grigio is a common and often inexpensive wine. Choosing the best bottle relies on professional reviews and general knowledge of producers and regions.

Is Pinot Grigio dry or sweet?

Pinot Grigio is a dry white wine. It boasts a crisp, punchy acidity that lends itself to a drier palate.

The article The 19 Best Pinot Grigios for 2025 appeared first on VinePair.