The character

Pinot Bianco (Pinot Blanc in French, Weissburgunder in German) is the white-skinned mutation of Pinot Noir. The grape produces dry, medium-bodied, lemon-and-apple-driven whites with moderate acidity and a clean, restrained character. It is often unfairly compared to Chardonnay and called a ‘lighter Chardonnay,’ but it has its own personality — more linear, less aromatic, more food-flexible in the way that subtle white wines often are.

Where it grows best

Italy: Alto Adige (Südtirol) is the reference, producing some of the most age-worthy Pinot Bianco in the world. Friuli-Venezia Giulia also makes serious Pinot Bianco. Smaller plantings in Lombardy and the Veneto. Germany: Baden, Pfalz, and Rheinhessen produce serious Weissburgunder. Austria: Burgenland and the Steiermark. Alsace, France: a workhorse grape in Crémant d’Alsace and dry whites. California: a handful of producers.

How it tastes

Lemon, green apple, white pear, white flower (acacia, elderflower), almond, sometimes a slight hazelnut note in older examples. Acid is moderate; alcohol typically 12.5-13.5%; texture is medium-bodied and clean. The wines are immediately approachable and food-flexible.

How it ages

Top Alto Adige Pinot Bianco (Cantina Terlano’s Vorberg Riserva is the reference) is one of the great long-aging whites in Italy — twenty to thirty years from a great vintage. The wines develop a remarkable honeyed, nutty, smoky tertiary complexity that has earned comparisons to top white Burgundy.

What to pair with

Roast chicken. Pork tenderloin. Mild fish (sole, halibut). Soft cheeses. Mushroom risotto. Asparagus and other tricky-to-pair vegetables. The grape’s restraint makes it one of the most food-flexible whites in Italian wine.