It’s time to put down the pinot grigio and step away...

Name a light, inoffensive white wine that appears on every wine list, supermarket aisle and off-licence shelf around the country. I’ll wait. In three... two... one...

Did you think of pinot grigio? I know I would. It’s like that friend who “doesn’t want to get in anyone’s way”; the one who’s always good for a giggle but doesn’t actually have that much to say.

So why did we become so obsessed with this grape variety? And when? For it’s the go-to white wine – not only in the UK but the US, too – and the rise (and rise) of pinot grigio does not seem to be abating any time soon. It’s safe and reliable, like a comfy pair of slippers – but I think it’s time we gave some other grapes a look-in. Don’t you?

Back in 1979, the American importer Anthony Terlato went wine hunting in Italy for a high-quality, easy-drinking wine that he could bring back to the masses. He’d had previous success launching Blue Nun and Mateus rosé, so he obviously knew what he was looking for – and lo: he found Santa Margherita pinot grigio, which duly skyrocketed in popularity.

As the New York Times wine critic Eric Asimov said: “Santa Margherita, a crisp, light, easygoing alternative to oaky chardonnays, became one of the most recognised wine brands in the United States and helped to make pinot grigio a synonym for a glass of white at countless bars and restaurants.”

And where America led, the UK followed. In the late Nineties, UK wine drinkers had grown tired of big blousy oak-chipped chardonnays and were yearning for something fresher and more laidback. Enter pinot grigio and its impressive heritage – it’s a mutation of pinot noir that can trace its roots back to Burgundy in eastern France.

It became far more synonymous with the regions of Alsace, where it is known as pinot gris, and the northeastern wine regions of Italy around Friuli-Venezia Giulia and Trentino-Alto Adige, where it still produces high-quality iterations of the grape variety.

But these regional-specific wines are not necessarily what we’re drinking by the barrel load. Producers across all of Italy and around the world have been taking advantage of the success of the grape variety and churning out tankers of mass-produced pinot grigio, generally characterised as being a bland, forgettable generic white wine – and quite frankly, I think we deserve more.

Please, don’t misunderstand me, I love that pinot grigio conjures up images of friends coming together to enjoy a glass of wine at a picnic or a sunny lunch. And we really do love the stuff. According to the consortium representing the pinot grigio delle Venezie DOC, we currently consume on average 85 million bottles of pinot grigio in the UK alone – that accounts for approximately one-third of the wine’s global production. In 2020, at least 54 per cent of us had consumed at least one glass of pinot grigio.

No, this is about me wanting us all to start drinking outside of our comfort zone and discovering what joys lie beyond the known.

I have put together a selection of some of my favourite “switches” for pinot grigio that you might like to try next time you’re perusing the wine shelves. These are all wines that remain light, fun and with a laidback easy-going fruity nature – but might just give you a little more interest than the generic pub wine often served which makes me feel so disillusioned. Oh, and my tip: if you do decide to go for pinot grigio, make sure it’s from its spiritual home and look out for pinot grigio della Venezia.

Co-op, £10, 13% abv

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Assyrtiko is an indigenous white grape variety of Greece – and it is delicious. It can create wines of great depth and complexity as well as supremely easy-drinking and laidback wines, such as this tasty number from the Co-op. It’s brimming with fresh ripe peaches and apricots with a little citrus lick and is so mellow and smooth in the mouth. It’s like your favourite pair of slippers got upgraded for some Manolos.

Yapp Brothers, £12.95, 11% abv

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A charming wine, with a charming label too. But this isn’t all style over substance; this uncomplicated, good quality chenin blanc from the area around the beautiful town of Saumur, in the Loire Valley, is a highly drinkable fresh, bright citrussy wine that also feels like biting into a delicious, refreshing, crisp green apple. It’s light and delicate – and while we might not be in peak-picnic season any more, don’t let that stop you from getting a group of friends together to share a bottle with a blanket-load of snacks.

Aldi (in-store only) £8.99, 12.5% abv

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Is Aldi trying to make the “fish wine” the new “chicken wine”? Whether or not this becomes an online viral sensation, it’s a really solid and delicious Albariño from Galicia, in northwest Spain. Think of paddling in the sea, with the salty waves lapping at your feet... or, if that’s too much, just guzzle it. For it has flavours of soft white peaches, juicy nectarines and a fresh zesty finish – plus a really soft feeling in the mouth, like a peachy Mister Whippy (such a concoction really should exist).

Co-op (online) £12.50, 12.5% abv

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This is a little bit decadent and I like it. If you’re looking for an upgrade on your pinot grigio, try this for a bit of a luxury feel – you get a lot of wine for your money here. It’s like walking through a fruit orchard in the countryside on a late summer’s day, with lifted aromas and flavours of ripe peach, honeyed-apricot and delicate blossoms. It’s soft and lingering, just like the golden-hour sunlight. Exactly what we need in winter to lift the spirits, I’d say.

Rosamund Hall (DipWSET) is a freelance writer, presenter and columnist specialising in wine and spirits as well as lifestyle, travel and parenting