Pinot grigio, the Italian version of pinot gris in Alsace, has an understated existence in the wine world. Its association with the massively produced high-street whites with simple, crisp, and insipid fruit resulting from a huge crop and early harvest undermined its image for quality wines. Which is a shame, because pinot grigio can also produce elegant, mineral, and nuanced wines with great texture in places like Friuli and Alto Adige.

As a mutation of pinot noir, pinot grigio/pinot gris can become dark pink when left to ripen longer, giving the wine more depth and a golden hue. This is the case for Alsatian versions that usually contain higher alcohol with intense, ripe citrus fruit and exotic spices in an oily, phenolic texture. In Italy, the Collio and Colli Orientali hillsides in Friuli and the steep, elevated vineyards in Alto Adige can deliver greener, sharper, zestier fruit expressions with more subtle hooks from blossoms, spices, and limy, mineral characters. Such zingy freshness and vitality comes from the steep, high-altitude sites and a cool climate that sets it apart from its ripe and complex Alsatian counterparts, underscoring the intellectual drinkability and energy instead of voluptuous ripeness.

In northern Italy, many names stand out for pinot grigio today. Schiopetto and Vie di Romans are among our favorite producers from Friuli, the former known for its great Friulano and whose Schiopetto Pinot Grigio Collio 2019 from the easternmost tip of the country led the Italian category and was the No. 4 wine in our Top 100 Value wines of 2020. Vie di Romans is a family producer that makes excellent wines in the less known DOC appellation Friuli Isonzo, where it consistently triumphs in quite a few white varieties and offers superb quality and value.

For pinot grigio, we believe it is worth paying a little more to maximize the quality available. The following 11 bottles are some of the best buys we found recently from Italy under $30. These wines show how the best pinot grigios combine ripeness and freshness, density and subtlety. We love their zesty, more mineral fruit that follows through to a textural palate with seductive but subtle phenolic flavors. Today, pinot grigio/pinot gris has a wide presence around the world. While Alsace and northeastern Italy are the variety’s heartlands, quality pinot grigio from New World regions such as New Zealand has picked up. The popularity of natural and orange wines made from pinot grigio with an authentic flavorsome bite is rising, from Europe to Latin America. Our list here is the tip of the pinot grigio iceberg for great value and diversity.

–Zekun Shuai, associate editor.