Maryland Pinot Gris/Grigio
On Saturday, February 28, 2026, we did a vertical Maryland pinot gris/grigio tasting with food pairings. This grape is grown all around the world but it originates in France and is most well-known from specifically, Alsace. You may be more familiar with pinot grigio, which is made from the same grape in Italy but in a different style. The French, pinot gris is known for being more complex, fuller-bodied and lower in acidity. While less ripe, earlier harvested varieties can have notes of melon, apple, pear and lemon, pinot gris is commonly riper and harvested later in the season. This will create more stone and/or tropical fruit flavors on the palate, along with the minerality France is known for. For this tasting, we had three Maryland pinot gris, from Perigeaux Vineyards and Winery, Big Cork and Crow Vineyards. We also had a pinot grigio from Sugarloaf Mountain Vineyard. For food pairings, you want to think creamy and/or acid and nothing too overpowering. The menu for this one was arancini with roasted fennel and pesto alfredo, Cesar salad, shrimp scampi linguini, baked brie with balsamic mushrooms, gruyere, goat cheese, cod with piccata sauce, guacamole, cucumbers and crackers. The cute baguette plate we served the arancini on came from Perigeaux and was so perfect! We also did a Bottle Review Podcast on theirs so check it out! Perigeaux's 2021 pinot gris had notes of melon and lemon and nice acidity. It paired best with the arancini and the shrimp scampi pasta. Big Cork's was from 2025, had aromas of lemon and pear, tangerine on the palate and a gravely minerality on the finish. Acid was medium plus. It paired best with the arancini, Cesar salad and the brie. Crow's 2023 had notes of almond, lemon and apricot with medium plus acidity. It paired best with the pasta and fennel. SMV's being a pinot grigio from 2024, it paired with very different foods. It had notes of melon, apple and peach with medium acid. It paired best with the cod, guacamole, gruyere and the pasta. This was a fun update to the last Maryland pinot gris tasting we did back in 2024. This grape is still somewhat popular in the state and we think Maryland is making some great ones!
