How to pronounce Pinot Grigio

What is Pinot Grigio?

A white grape variety (same as Pinot Gris) producing light-bodied wines with citrus and mineral notes.

Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris are the same grape. Grigio is Italian for gray and gris is French for gray, a reference to the grayish-pink skin of the ripe berries. The variety is thought to be a color mutation of Pinot Noir and has been known in Burgundy since the Middle Ages.

The Italian name is tied to northeastern Italy: Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia, Trentino and Alto Adige. The Delle Venezie DOC, which spans Veneto, Friuli Venezia Giulia and the province of Trento, accounts for around 85 percent of Italy's Pinot Grigio production according to its consortium.

Italian Pinot Grigio is typically dry, light-bodied, pale and unoaked, with citrus and green apple flavors and fresh acidity. The grapes are often picked early to keep that freshness. A bottle labeled Pinot Gris, especially from Alsace, usually signals a fuller, richer and spicier wine, so the name on the label is a useful clue to style.

Pinot Grigio, syllable by syllable

Why Pinot Grigio is hard to say

The name mixes two languages. Pinot is French, and French usually leaves a final t silent, so the word ends on oh, just as in Merlot (mer-LOH) and Pinot Noir (PEE-noh NWAR). Grigio is Italian, where nearly every letter is sounded, so readers expect to pronounce each one. That expectation is what produces the extra syllable.

In Italian, g is hard before a, o and u, and soft, like an English j, before e and i. To get a soft g in front of o, Italian spelling inserts an i that works as a marker and is not a vowel of its own. So gio is joh, and grigio has two syllables: GREE-joh. The same rule gives Sangiovese (san-joh-VAY-zay). The letter c behaves the same way: cia is chah in Montepulciano (mon-teh-pool-CHAH-noh).

Tips for saying it

How to order Pinot Grigio

Say both words evenly and finish on joh: PEE-noh GREE-joh. This is also the established English form, so the Italian way and the dictionary English way match here. You will often hear gree-jee-oh in bars and shops, and staff will understand it. If you want a specific style, add the region, such as Alto Adige or Friuli.

• “Could I have a glass of the Pinot Grigio, please?” The everyday restaurant order.
• “Do you have a Pinot Grigio from Alto Adige or Friuli?” Naming a region narrows the style.

Names often confused with Pinot Grigio

• Pinot Gris (PEE-noh GREE): The French name for the same grape, with a silent s; on a label it usually points to a fuller style.
• Pinot Noir (PEE-noh NWAR): The red grape that Pinot Grigio is thought to have mutated from; it shares the same silent t in Pinot.
• Sangiovese (san-joh-VAY-zay): Another Italian grape where gio is a single joh sound and the i stays unspoken.

Questions about pronouncing Pinot Grigio

How do you pronounce Pinot Grigio?

Pinot Grigio is pronounced PEE-noh GREE-joh. Pinot has a silent t and sounds like PEE-noh. Grigio has two syllables, GREE-joh, with a soft g like the j in Joe. The strongest stress falls on GREE.

Is it GREE-joh or gree-jee-oh?

The Italian form is GREE-joh, with two syllables. In Italian spelling the i after the g only makes the g soft and is not spoken separately. The three-syllable gree-jee-oh is widely heard in English and is listed in American dictionaries alongside GREE-joh, so both are understood. GREE-joh matches how Italians say it.

Is the t silent in Pinot Grigio?

Yes. Pinot is a French word, and French normally leaves a final t unspoken, so it is PEE-noh. The same silent t appears in Pinot Noir, Pinot Gris and Merlot. Italians also leave the t unspoken when they say Pinot Grigio.

What does Pinot Grigio mean?

Grigio is the Italian word for gray, and gris is the French word for gray. Both describe the grayish-pink skin of the ripe grape. Pinot is the name of the grape family that also includes Pinot Noir.

What is the difference between Pinot Grigio and Pinot Gris?

They are the same grape under an Italian and a French name. On a label, Pinot Grigio usually means a light, crisp, dry and unoaked wine in the style of northern Italy. Pinot Gris usually means a riper, fuller-bodied and spicier wine, as made in Alsace.

Sources: Wikipedia: Pinot gris, Consorzio DOC Delle Venezie: Pinot Grigio Delle Venezie DOC, Wiktionary: grigio, Kendall-Jackson: Pinot Gris vs Pinot Grigio. Last reviewed 2026-10-10.