WTF is Pinot Blanc? (Summer white wines, white wine discovery, Chardonnay alternatives, uncommon white wines, summer sippers, luncheon wine)

Show Notes

Episode 36: WTF is Pinot Blanc? (Summer white wines, white wine discovery, Chardonnay alternatives, uncommon white wines, summer sippers, luncheon wine)  00:00

Hello! And welcome to The Wine Pair Podcast. I’m Joe, your sommelier of reasonably priced wine, and this is my wife and my wine pairing partner in crime, Carmela. And we are The Wine Pair!

Alright, Carmela, I am really excited for our episode this week because we are going to taste a wine varietal that I am honestly not sure if either of us has had before, called Pinot Blanc. For those of you out there in listening land who think maybe we made a mistake, you heard that right - we said Pinot Blanc, not to be confused with other grapes and wines with Pinot in their name like Pinot Noir or Pinot Grigio. If you are in Italy or Spain, the wine is called Pinot Bianco, and if you are in Germany and Austria, the wine is called Weissburgunder - which can be translated to white burgundy. We’ll unpack this wine and learn a little bit more about it in this episode! Fun! Aren’t you curious about this wine?

And - we are also back to doing an episode in our WTF series, also known as “what the f is this wine”? And in this series, we try wines that we think are either underappreciated or underrated or at least just not something you see super frequently and maybe you are curious about and want to know if this is a wine for you. We love this series because we learn a lot ourselves. And that is one of the things we enjoy most about doing this podcast.

And super fast - for those of you who new to The Wine Pair Podcast, what we do in this here radio-type show is help you learn about and find  wines that are reasonably priced - meaning under $20 - that are good and not crap -  and that you should be able to find in your local grocery store or wine shop or Costco or online on the interwebs.  Every episode we taste and review three wines, and, sometimes we do other stuff like interview people in the wine biz not today. Today it is just us and you, our friends out there in listening land.

We haven’t done an episode on white still wines in about a month so it will be fun to get back to them. And, by still wines we mean what? That’s right, wines that are not bubbly. Now, we did do an episode on white sparkling wines a couple of weeks ago, but don’t you think it’s fun to focus on a white wine that we may be able to add to our repertoire? Because you are really more of a white wine fan, Carmela, aren’t you?

Well, I am super excited to see what we think about Pinot Blanc and learning a bit more about them . . .

But first . . . we have to do our shameless plug, Carmela. If you wouldn’t mind, dear listeners, please consider subscribing to our podcast so you will always know when one of these new episodes is out and ready for you. We would love also love it if you would give us a nice a rating and review so people can find us and will think, hey, I should check this thing out!

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And, as we do every week, we’ll tell you someone we think you should tell about The Wine Pair Podcast, and this week we think you should tell your the person at the gym who checks you in and wipes down the equipment

Topic: What is Pinot Blanc?  07:26

Ok, so let’s do a little digging in on just what the f Pinot Blanc is. And, thankfully, we have the power of the interwebs to guide us.

I do have a question for you, Carmela, as we start. Now, you won’t swear - and I really mean this, people out there in listening land, this is not a joke, Carmela does not swear. At all. Like none. So the question is, for this series, what do you think is the best f-word substitute? Is it what the fudge is Pinot Blanc, or is it what the frick is Pinot Blanc, or is it what the F is Pinot Blanc? What is your preferred F-bomb substitute? If anyone out there wants to tell us their favorite f word substitute, just let us know. We want to hear your best faux swear words!

Ok, back to Pinot Blanc. I think at first when I heard someone talk about Pinot Blanc I thought they were talking about Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris, but those are different wines. And, this was weird, but, as I was doing research for this episode, I actually found out that in some cases there are web sites that consider Pinot Grigio - which is one of our favorite white wines from Italy - to be a different wine than Pinot Gris, which is a French white wine - even though they are made from the same grape. I think they are the same, so I am not  buying it. It makes a difference in terms of name when a wine comes from a different area because the grapes can be grown differently or ripen at different times or the wines can be created differently like how much they are oaked if any and how long they are stored before selling, but they are the same grape, so I think they are the same. It is what we call a difference without a distinction. 

But for now, just know that Pinot Blanc is different from Pinot Grigio or Pinot Gris, as well as Pinot Noir. Pinot Grigio is a grape that is not quite red and not quite white, but actually more pink colored, and the words grigio and gris in Italian and French mean “grey.”

Pinot Blanc, on the other hand, is a white grape - which technically means that it is a light green grape - and is also known as Pinot Bianco in Italy. Blanc in French and bianco in Italian mean “white.”

Both Pinot Grigio and Pinot Blanc are mutations of Pinot Noir which is a dark purpley grape, also known as Pinot Nero in Italy, and Noir in French and Nero in Italian mean “black.”

Pinot Blanc IS a relative of both Pinot Noir and Pinot Gris. Between Pinot Blanc and Pinot Gris, Pinot Gris or Grigio or whatever you want to call it is supposed to be more “zesty” and is known for being a brighter, lighter, more acidic wine, while Pinot Blanc is described as a “rounder” wine with a bit less acidity and alcohol. Some of the flavor differences are that Pinot Blanc is supposed to have more of an apple or pear aroma and flavor, while Pinot Gris will have more peach flavoring. Surprisingly, Pinot Grigio is actually considered a fuller bodied wine than Pinot Blanc, but they are both on the lighter bodied end. When we met with Tabitha Compton, and we are trying their Pinot Blanc today, she said she found Pinot Blanc to be more “interesting” than Pinot Grigio. Without being specific, I think she meant that maybe there is more complexity in it. 

Pinot Blanc is also used quite frequently as a blending wine, often blended with Chardonnay, and is also used in sparkling wine which is kind of fun. In fact, an Italian sparkling wine that is made in the champagne method and is pretty different from Prosecco called Franciacorta, is made with Pinot Blanc - and that is a wine we need to try, Carmela, although I don’t think it will make our podcast because it mostly doesn’t meet the criteria of reasonably priced. Cremant from Alsace, which is a sparkling wine made in the Alsace area of France, is also made from Pinot Blanc, and the Alsace region of France and its neighboring areas in Germany make a lot of Pinot Blanc, and Germany is where one of the wines we are trying today comes from - Mosel in Germany.

So, no need to memorize all of this - we have a bunch of articles on our web site that you can check out to learn more about Pinot Blanc and even what the difference is between Pinot Blanc and Pinot Grigio.


ARTICLES

• https://wineparadigm.com/pinot-blanc/ 
• https://winetasteathome.com/winelistings/pinot-blanc/ 
• https://wineinsiders.com/blog/The-Difference-Between-Pinot-Grigio,-Pinot-Gris-&-Pinot-Blanc 
• https://vinepair.com/articles/so-whats-the-difference-between-pinot-grigio-gris-and-blanc/
• https://www.winespectator.com/articles/what-is-difference-between-pinot-grigio-and-gris-57223

Pinot Blanc Wines We Chose for This Episode 14:13

Ok, but let’s now talk a little bit about the wines that we chose for this episode. I will say that I did have to dig around a bit, and I don’t think you are going to be able to find Pinot Blanc at your local store unless they have a pretty large or a pretty eclectic set of wines. Online you can find it, and you can find it at larger wine super stores, and you can also find it at stores that have bigger wine selections. So, while it is not a rare wine, it is not a totally common wine, either, at least in the US. 

Pinot Blanc is grown all over the world. A lot of it is grown in Europe in places like Alsace, France, Baden and Pfalz in Germany, in Lombardy and Alto Adige in in Italy, and in also Austria. There is some grown in the US, but it really is a European wine and grape, and in fact, there is a decent amount grown in eastern europe in places like the Czech Republic, Slovenia, Slovakia, and Moldova. The biggest producers, however, are Italy and Germany.

Most of the time when it is made as its own varietal - meaning a wine labeled Pinot Blanc - it is purely Pinot Blanc, but in Alsace it can be blended with other grapes like Pinot Grigio or Pinot Noir. 

Pinot Blanc, like most white wines, is meant to be served cold, and this is one that you can stand to serve pretty darn cold. It is also not a wine you need to decant, and is not a wine that you need to age. In fact, generally it should be consumed pretty young. 

We have three different Pinot Blancs we are going to try today. All of the wines we are tasting today are dry white wines, which is the style we prefer, but sometimes Pinot Blanc is made in a sweet style. 

One of the wines we are trying is from the Okanagan Valley in British Columbia Canada, and was a gift from my brother Tom. Okanagan wines are not super easy to get in the US, but for our listeners in Canada, you can be on the lookout for them for sure. This one comes from the town of Oliver which is right over the border of Washington state and it calls itself the wine capital of Canada. We did an episode a few months ago on wines from the Okanagan because it is an area that is near and dear to our hearts since it was where my mother was born, and because it is one of the few areas in Canada where you can grow wine grapes properly to make wine. The episode we did focused on Syrah, but I think the Okanagan is better suited for white wines, so we’ll check it out in this episode and see what we think. By the way, if you want to check out that episode, it is episode #31, and is also a WTF episode!

The second wine we are going to try is from our friends at Compton Family wines in Oregon, and Tabitha Compton really got me interested in learning more about Pinot Blanc. Their wine is from the Willamette Valley from the farm and they are focused on Regenerative farming. I am excited to taste this wine again, and you can hear our interview with Tabitha in episode #30 from May if you are interested. And it just so happens that was the right before the Okanagan Valley episode!

Our last Pinot Blanc is from Europe, specifically Germany. I was going to select a wine from Alsace in France but was intrigued to try one from Germany. This wine should be bone dry, and will be really interesting to see how different it may be from the North American wines. Also, the latitude of Mosel where this wine is from is almost the same as Okanagan, so I am very curious to see how they compare. 

ARTICLES

• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pinot_blanc
• https://www.narcity.com/vancouver/the-wine-capital-of-canada-is-in-bc-you-can-visit-a-whole-boozy-village-there

Ok, enough with this jibber jabber - let’s get to it!


Pinot Blanc Wine pairing tasting and review 18:33

Wine: Five Vineyards Pinot Blanc
Region: Canada, Oliver (Okanagan Valley)
Producer: Mission Hill Family Estates
Year: 2020
Price: $15.00
Retailer: SAQ (online store SAQ.com)
Alcohol: 12%
Grapes: Pinot Blanc

What we tasted and smelled in this Pinot Blanc: Apple, apple pie, spicy, wood, flowers, nutmeg, peach, nectarine, peach pie on the palate, banana. Subtle, easy drinking, nice flavor, not super complex. Good summer wine. Oaked?

Food to pair with this Pinot Blanc: Charcuterie, puff pastry, phyllo with spinach and cheese, fish, fried fish.

As a reminder on our rating scale, we rate on a scale of 1-10, where 7 and above means that we would buy it, and 4 and below means that we are likely to pour it down the sink, and in-between we are likely to drink it and finish it, but we are probably not going to buy it.

Rating:
Joe: 6/10
Carmela: 7/10

Wine: Compton Pinot Blanc
Region: Oregon, Willamette Valley (Philomath)
Producer: Compton Family Wines
Year: 2019
Price: $15.00
Retailer: Compton Wine Website (Comptonwines.com)
Alcohol: 13.4%
Grapes: Pinot Blanc

What we tasted and smelled in this Pinot Blanc: Complex. Perfumy. Pine, tree sap, menthol, spicy, peach, peach cobbler, peach skin, juicy, apple cider on the palate, pear, vanilla. Very different from the others. Oaked? Lots of body. Could stand on its own, but great food wine. An “occasion” wine.

Food to pair with this Pinot Blanc: Could stand up to a lot of foods. Chicken, spicy foods, sushi, fish, Alfredo pasta, rich white sauce, pulled pork.

Rating:
Joe: 7/10
Carmela: 7/10


Wine: Bocking Pinot Blanc
Region: Germany, Mosel
Producer: Richard Bocking Winery
Year: 2018
Price: $11.69
Retailer: Thriftway (franchised, different owners across the US, some Kroger and Winn-Dixie)
Alcohol: 12%
Grapes: Pinot Blanc

What we tasted and smelled in this Pinot Blanc: Apple, pear, creamy, raw almond, almond cream, citrus, lemon verbena, lemon water on the palate. Not as complex or as spicy. Very lemony. Good summer day sipper. Luncheon wine.

Food to pair with this Pinot Blanc: Fish, shrimp, sushi, mild cheese. Caesar salad.

Rating:
Joe: 6/10
Carmela:  6/10


Which one of these are you finishing tonight?
Carmela: 5 Vineyards
Joe: Compton

Is Pinot Blanc a new white wine of choice, a new go-to white wine? Yes.

Pinot Blanc is a great choice for white wine fans who are looking for something different.


Taste profiles expected from Pinot Blanc:  45:33

Pinot Blanc taste profile

• Pear, peach, raw almond, lemon zest, crushed gravel
• Apple, hints of spice, smoke and mineral undertones, flowers, creamy
• From Compton website on their wine: Opens with white peach on the nose, crisp and bright on the palate with stone fruit and tropical notes. Finish is long and lovely with a hint of yellow grapefruit at the end.

Outro and how to find us 46:49

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