# Riesling vs Pinot Gris vs Pinot Noir ??



## triste (Aug 30, 2004)

What's the diff?!


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## Bonnie's Mommie (Mar 2, 2006)

Riesling is the sweetest, Pinot Gris is drier. Pinot Noir is red, versus those which are white. 

Oh, Sauvignon Blanc I THINK is closer to Gris than Riesling, in terms of sweetness/dryness.


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## nikkivong (Aug 25, 2006)

i dont know much about wine but i know i LOVE reisling!!


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## xo daisy baby ox (Nov 9, 2008)

Ooooh riesling is great! In April I was introduced to the world of wine tasting, I am not a huge fan of dry wines, but the second those sweet wines hit my lips.....oh boy, it was all over from there! My life hasn't been the same! LOL Niagara and Concord wines can just about make me cry, they satisfy my need for sweetness and alcohol all at the same time! :wub: :heart: :wine: :wub2: But we can keep that our little secret, what happens on SM stays on SM. OH, yeah, back to the question...basically they are all very different wines, riesling is kind of the wine for people who don't like wine in my group of friends! sweet, slightly acidic with a nice body and texture to it, not too bitter or dry. pinot grigio is more dry, it can range from light to full bodied with slightly spicy or peppery notes to it, generally pinot grigio isn't aged as long as other wines, it can be enjoyed much earlier in age than most other wines. pinot noir is very smooth and velvety, very fruity scent and has an almost cinnamon like spiciness to it, very complex. All 3 are very different and of course depending on where the wine comes from it will differ from one to the next. I do know a little about all different wines just from wine tastings and reading up on them, but the descriptions I gave were the best I could come up with! Hope they help!!


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

QUOTE (Triste @ Dec 7 2008, 08:09 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685134


> What's the diff?![/B]


depends where they are from


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

Wines mostly get their names from the name of the grape they are made from, or from the region they are originally from (in France). So those are different kinds of grapes. Except for the word Blanc, which means white.

Reisling is german the rest are french. Pinot Gris (Gris means Grey in french) is called Pinot Grigio in Italian. Sauvignon Blanc is a white grape and usually quite dry and more complex.


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

I'm not a fan of wine, but I definitely like Rieslings.


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## triste (Aug 30, 2004)

:smheat: jeez...can I just have a coke?!


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

QUOTE (Triste @ Dec 8 2008, 12:51 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685690


> :smheat: jeez...can I just have a coke?! [/B]


LOL. A "Coke" or a "Pepsi" 

I don't know much about the wine itself, only that I like certain ones and not others. I don't like red or most white, but I enjoy the Riesling and I also like the Gewürztraminer wines.


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## xo daisy baby ox (Nov 9, 2008)

I will have some coke with my rum! I only really drink wine if it is there...I bought wine for myself one time and I hated it, so I leave the wine buying to others and just drink it when I'm around my wino friends!  I brushed up on my wine knowledge so that I knew what my friends were talking about when I was around them...hahaha, oh well, I don't look like a deer in headlights or like I'm totally clueless now when they are having wine discussions.


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## domino_angel (Apr 17, 2008)

Reisling is always white wine, and it is always pretty sweet. It can range from the very sweet, almost like grape juice, to rather dry (for a reisling). Any reisling (in my experience) is generally sweeter than other wines. 

Gewürztraminers are like a reisling, but less sweet. I have noticed that they tend to have a slight carbonation, almost like a champagne that has gone mostly flat. Somewhat Similar to a Voigner, in my experience, but I like the Gewurz better. 

Pinot Gris/grigio is made from the Pinot grape, and is a white wine. It tends to be much drier than either of the above. Similar to Chardonnay, in my opinion. 

Pinot Noir is made from the red Pinot grape, and is a red wine. It can vary from semi-dry to dry. I can't explain the flavor, but In my opinion it is more complex than a Merlot. This is my favorite red. 

If you are asking because you want to know what to try, I would suggest trying sweeter wines first, and work toward dryer ones. If you haven't tried much red wine, or don't really like red wines, you may find it helpful to try a White Merlot. Beringer makes a good one, and it's cheap. Actually is one of my favorite things to drink, because it has a lot of red flavor, and is still chilled and a little sweet.


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## 2maltese4me (May 8, 2006)

QUOTE (domino_angel @ Dec 8 2008, 06:53 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685807


> Reisling is always white wine, and it is always pretty sweet. It can range from the very sweet, almost like grape juice, to rather dry (for a reisling). Any reisling (in my experience) is generally sweeter than other wines.[/B]


You wouldn't say its sweeter than Zinfandel would you?


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## triste (Aug 30, 2004)

No, I'm just trying to shop for BIL..he asked for White Wine and I'm clueless...I dont drink so I was asking...


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

QUOTE (domino_angel @ Dec 8 2008, 06:53 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685807


> Reisling is always white wine, and it is always pretty sweet. It can range from the very sweet, almost like grape juice, to rather dry (for a reisling). Any reisling (in my experience) is generally sweeter than other wines.
> 
> Gewürztraminers are like a reisling, but less sweet. I have noticed that they tend to have a slight carbonation, almost like a champagne that has gone mostly flat. Somewhat Similar to a Voigner, in my experience, but I like the Gewurz better.
> 
> Pinot Gris/grigio is made from the Pinot grape, and is a white wine. It tends to be much drier than either of the above. Similar to Chardonnay, in my opinion.[/B]


as I said before, it depends where they are from. German wines are sweet most of the times specially the whites. One kind of wine I can talk about is wine from Alsace (France) because I am from there :

Riesling : dry 
Sylvaner : dry 
Edelzwicker : dry
Pinot gris or Tokay (Pinot gris used to be called Tokay but Alsace cannot use that appellation anymore) : less dry than Riesling but still dry and a wine you can use for eating (I love Tokay)
Muscat : sweet wine (good for dessert or apperitif)
Gewurtztraminer : semi-sweet (dessert wine or wine to drink with foie gras)

so your asumption that Gewurtztraminer is less sweet than Riesling is wrong. And they should not have even a slight carbonation. 

As for the vinyeards producing those wines, all of those are good : Trimbach, Sparr, Schlumberger (yes Schlumberger has wines) any one of them with zip code starting with 68. I don't recommend the ones with zip code starting with 67, they are more oily.

Now if you really want a dry dry white wine, I recommend a Muscadet. Goes very well with sea food. I love Muscadet. But I am biased, I don't like sweet wines.


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## domino_angel (Apr 17, 2008)

QUOTE (MalteseJane @ Dec 8 2008, 08:18 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685887


> QUOTE (domino_angel @ Dec 8 2008, 06:53 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685807





> Reisling is always white wine, and it is always pretty sweet. It can range from the very sweet, almost like grape juice, to rather dry (for a reisling). Any reisling (in my experience) is generally sweeter than other wines.
> 
> Gewürztraminers are like a reisling, but less sweet. I have noticed that they tend to have a slight carbonation, almost like a champagne that has gone mostly flat. Somewhat Similar to a Voigner, in my experience, but I like the Gewurz better.
> 
> Pinot Gris/grigio is made from the Pinot grape, and is a white wine. It tends to be much drier than either of the above. Similar to Chardonnay, in my opinion.[/B]


as I said before, it depends where they are from. German wines are sweet most of the times specially the whites. One kind of wine I can talk about is wine from Alsace (France) because I am from there :

Riesling : dry 
Sylvaner : dry 
Edelzwicker : dry
Pinot gris or Tokay (Pinot gris used to be called Tokay but Alsace cannot use that appellation anymore) : less dry than Riesling but still dry and a wine you can use for eating (I love Tokay)
Muscat : sweet wine (good for dessert or apperitif)
Gewurtztraminer : semi-sweet (dessert wine or wine to drink with foie gras)

so your asumption that Gewurtztraminer is less sweet than Riesling is wrong. And they should not have even a slight carbonation. 

As for the vinyeards producing those wines, all of those are good : Trimbach, Sparr, Schlumberger (yes Schlumberger has wines) any one of them with zip code starting with 68. I don't recommend the ones with zip code starting with 67, they are more oily.

Now if you really want a dry dry white wine, I recommend a Muscadet. Goes very well with sea food. I love Muscadet. But I am biased, I don't like sweet wines.
[/B][/QUOTE]

This is all from my personal experience. Reisling IS originally a german wine, and I was basing my evaluation on that, not on some french version. American reislings are pretty sweet as well. I will admit I don't know crap about French wine. I don't drink it, and living in Kansas, french wines are always pretty expensive. 

I prefaced pretty much EVERYTHING I said with "in my experience" for a reason... Wine is a very subjective thing, and varies SO much from region to region. Your post is insulting to me, if you want to disagree that's fine, but don't be an ass about it. I really think I am about done with this site, every time a friendly discussion gets started, someone has to be rude.


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## MandyMc65 (Jun 14, 2007)

QUOTE (domino_angel @ Dec 8 2008, 07:34 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685953


> QUOTE (MalteseJane @ Dec 8 2008, 08:18 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685887





> QUOTE (domino_angel @ Dec 8 2008, 06:53 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685807





> Reisling is always white wine, and it is always pretty sweet. It can range from the very sweet, almost like grape juice, to rather dry (for a reisling). Any reisling (in my experience) is generally sweeter than other wines.
> 
> Gewürztraminers are like a reisling, but less sweet. I have noticed that they tend to have a slight carbonation, almost like a champagne that has gone mostly flat. Somewhat Similar to a Voigner, in my experience, but I like the Gewurz better.
> 
> Pinot Gris/grigio is made from the Pinot grape, and is a white wine. It tends to be much drier than either of the above. Similar to Chardonnay, in my opinion.[/B]


as I said before, it depends where they are from. German wines are sweet most of the times specially the whites. One kind of wine I can talk about is wine from Alsace (France) because I am from there :

Riesling : dry 
Sylvaner : dry 
Edelzwicker : dry
Pinot gris or Tokay (Pinot gris used to be called Tokay but Alsace cannot use that appellation anymore) : less dry than Riesling but still dry and a wine you can use for eating (I love Tokay)
Muscat : sweet wine (good for dessert or apperitif)
Gewurtztraminer : semi-sweet (dessert wine or wine to drink with foie gras)

so your asumption that Gewurtztraminer is less sweet than Riesling is wrong. And they should not have even a slight carbonation. 

As for the vinyeards producing those wines, all of those are good : Trimbach, Sparr, Schlumberger (yes Schlumberger has wines) any one of them with zip code starting with 68. I don't recommend the ones with zip code starting with 67, they are more oily.

Now if you really want a dry dry white wine, I recommend a Muscadet. Goes very well with sea food. I love Muscadet. But I am biased, I don't like sweet wines.
[/B][/QUOTE]

This is all from my personal experience. Reisling IS originally a german wine, and I was basing my evaluation on that, not on some french version. American reislings are pretty sweet as well. I will admit I don't know crap about French wine. I don't drink it, and living in Kansas, french wines are always pretty expensive. 

I prefaced pretty much EVERYTHING I said with "in my experience" for a reason... Wine is a very subjective thing, and varies SO much from region to region. Your post is insulting to me, if you want to disagree that's fine, but don't be an ass about it. I really think I am about done with this site, every time a friendly discussion gets started, someone has to be rude.
[/B][/QUOTE]


I agreed with your post! I think Reislings are really sweet and that's why I like them  I found it to be quite similar to how I taste the wine.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

QUOTE


> I prefaced pretty much EVERYTHING I said with "in my experience" for a reason... Wine is a very subjective thing, and varies SO much from region to region. Your post is insulting to me, if you want to disagree that's fine, but don't be an ass about it. I really think I am about done with this site, every time a friendly discussion gets started, someone has to be rude.[/B]


Ooops ! did not know that telling you your asumption was wrong was insulting. Well, if you feel insulted, I apologize, it was not my intention. Now concerning being rude, I don't think I am the one. And by the way, the asumption (in your experience) that Riesling IS originally a German wine is up for discussion too. If any one could be insulted by THIS asumption it's me.


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## domino_angel (Apr 17, 2008)

QUOTE (MalteseJane @ Dec 8 2008, 11:03 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=686023


> Ooops ! did not know that telling you your asumption was wrong was insulting. Well, if you feel insulted, I apologize, it was not my intention. Now concerning being rude, I don't think I am the one. And by the way, the asumption (in your experience) that Riesling IS originally a German wine is up for discussion too. If any one could be insulted by THIS asumption it's me.[/B]


That's interesting, because everyone "knows" (as in its supposedly common knowledge) that Riesling originated in Germany in the Rhineland, along the Rhine river. Perhaps if you want to have a scholarly discussion, you can argue that it is possible that the Riesling grape came from France...but I think you'd be stretching it. It's commonly accepted by wine experts that Riesling came from Germany, end of story. Now, why don't you go and do some research to try and prove your claim, and quit bothering people with false information. I am pretty sure you can't find any solid sources to back that up. 

Sorry, I don't mean to be a [email protected], but I get really annoyed when people try to tell me I am wrong about things I _know_ I am not wrong about. 

Oh, and to answer the question about white zin and how it compares to riesling...

White zin tends to be in the range of semi-dry to semi-sweet, whereas riesling tends to be semi-dry to sweet, generally sweeter than white zin. Again, this depends on the region it was produced. German riesling tends to be sweeter, American riesling tends to be less sweet than German, and I don't know anything really about French riesling. I have never seen it in my area. I also haven't really looked for it. Oh, I can't forget about Australia. Australia produces a lovely riesling, the ones I tried were semi-dry to semi-sweet, similar to American rieslings that way. They have a very different flavor to me though.

In short, if you want something similar in sweetness to a white zin, probably go with an American riesling. I personally don't care for most white zin, but I do love the American rieslings I have tried.


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## CloudClan (Jan 31, 2007)

LOL, okay as I got my wine education from Wine for Dummies I know I am not an expert, though my best-friends are wine experts from the land where wine was born The Republic of Georgia (Former Soviet Union). If you have never tried a good Georgian wine I would encourage you to enjoy a glass. 
:wine: 

I read in wine for dummies that there are two varieties of Reisling. The German variety is sweeter. The version from Alsace is dry by comparison. The origins as from the Rhine region and from Alsace region both date back to the 1400s. I imagine experts could have a fair debate and come to different conclusions as to where it came from first, suffice to say it has a long history in both neighboring regions. 

I LOVE reisling. That would be my vote.


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## domino_angel (Apr 17, 2008)

QUOTE (CloudClan @ Dec 9 2008, 12:43 AM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=686067


> I read in wine for dummies that there are two varieties of Reisling. The German variety is sweeter. The version from Alsace is dry by comparison. The origins as from the Rhine region and from Alsace region both date back to the 1400s. I imagine experts could have a fair debate and come to different conclusions as to where it came from first, suffice to say it has a long history in both neighboring regions.
> 
> I LOVE reisling. That would be my vote.[/B]


This is somewhat similar to what I have understood about Alsace, but I have heard that the German version came first. The two regions really are right next door to each other. Anyhow, it really doesn't matter. Riesling is awesome, period. I don't believe it matters where it comes from, or at least it doesn't matter to me. Time to go to the liquor store...well, when they open. LOL.


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## triste (Aug 30, 2004)

Alrighty, I really didnt think I'd spark a heated debate. :brownbag:


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

Arguing if Riesling grapes started in Alsace region of France or Rhineland of Germany is like arguing if something started in 2 adjoining towns (practically)! That area of Europe is tiny compared to what we think of as different 'countries'. Alsace is about as much German as it is French. I am quite sure the ones there that claim France would not agree however.  

Here is Oregon/Washington we grow a lot of Riesling grapes, also Gewürztraminer and Pinot Gris. We produce what is called "Dry Riesling" as well as the sweeter classic Riesling. There is also the "ice wine" type, a late harvest overripe grape, which is more of a dessert wine. Simply saying Riesling is a "sweet" wine is incorrect, however new wine tasters will go for the sweeter ones. There are a couple of reasons. It has less alcohol and is lighter bodied, so is easier to drink if you are not used to wine. To me it seems watered down, simply put, a personal opinion.


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## godiva goddess (Nov 19, 2007)

QUOTE (Triste @ Dec 8 2008, 08:46 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=685876


> No, I'm just trying to shop for BIL..he asked for White Wine and I'm clueless...I dont drink so I was asking...[/B]


If your BIL wants a *white wine,* I would recommend a Chardonnay from Marc Colin En Remilly, Premier Cru, Saint- Aubin, from Burgundy, France, in 2004.
It is a *Chardonnay*, but it is also perfect w/ seafood and red meats. It was recommend to me by a wonderful sommelier in a very extinguished restaurant in NYC. I was having scallops then beef so he recommended this. I must say, it bought all the flavors of my meal. I would highly recommend it to everyone.


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## MalteseJane (Nov 21, 2004)

QUOTE


> Alsace is about as much German as it is French. I am quite sure the ones there that claim France would not agree however. [/B]


Lol. That's another story. The younger generation feels more French but the older generation first feels they are Alsatian. We have been ostrasized by both countries, each of them wanting to call Alsace their own. Alsace was and still is a rich region. It has changed hands many times. My grand parents could not speak french. When I went to school it was forbidden to speak alsatian. I have been called "sale boche" (boche is a pejoratif of german and sale means dirty) when vacationing at 13 years old in the south of France. We have been the laughing stock of the rest of France because of our german accent when speaking french. There are still some old german laws in effect today in Alsace. Most villages in Alsace have german names. I checked my Alsace book and they say that wine making was introduced to Alsace by the Romans. I read somewhere else that the Germans changed the way they make Riesling when the Americans came to be stationed in Germany after the war. They made the Riesling sweeter to accomodate the Americans taste. Before that, their Riesling was dry too.


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## Furbaby's Mommie (Jul 10, 2004)

QUOTE (MalteseJane @ Dec 9 2008, 04:31 PM) index.php?act=findpost&pid=686458


> QUOTE





> Alsace is about as much German as it is French. I am quite sure the ones there that claim France would not agree however. [/B]


Lol. That's another story. The younger generation feels more French but the older generation first feels they are Alsatian. We have been ostrasized by both countries, each of them wanting to call Alsace their own. Alsace was and still is a rich region. It has changed hands many times. My grand parents could not speak french. When I went to school it was forbidden to speak alsatian. I have been called "sale boche" (boche is a pejoratif of german and sale means dirty) when vacationing at 13 years old in the south of France. We have been the laughing stock of the rest of France because of our german accent when speaking french. There are still some old german laws in effect today in Alsace. Most villages in Alsace have german names. I checked my Alsace book and they say that wine making was introduced to Alsace by the Romans. I read somewhere else that the Germans changed the way they make Riesling when the Americans came to be stationed in Germany after the war. They made the Riesling sweeter to accomodate the Americans taste. Before that, their Riesling was dry too.
[/B][/QUOTE]

I loved reading that Janine. I love history and geography.


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