Pinot Blanc

Pinot Blanc is another mutation in the Pinot family — Pinot Noir mutated to Pinot Gris, and Pinot Gris mutated again to Pinot Blanc, the whole sequence occurring naturally in the vineyard over centuries.

It is the quietest of the three. The wine is dry, medium-bodied and gently flavoured: green apple, pear, almond and a faint floral note, with moderate acidity and a soft, creamy texture. It has no dramatic aromatic signature and makes no attempt at one, which is exactly why it is useful.

Alsace grows a good deal of it, often blended with Auxerrois — confusingly, wine labelled Pinot Blanc there frequently contains more Auxerrois than Pinot Blanc — and it is the base of most Crémant d'Alsace, where its neutrality and acidity suit sparkling wine well.

Germany and Austria take it more seriously as Weissburgunder, and the best German examples from Baden and the Pfalz, barrel-fermented and aged on lees, are genuinely fine wines with real texture and nutty depth. They are also consistently better value than their Chardonnay equivalents.

Alto Adige and Friuli make a crisp, alpine Pinot Bianco of real precision, and it is arguably the region's most underrated white.

It is frequently described as Chardonnay without the fuss, which is unfair to both but does capture something: it occupies similar territory, responds to similar handling, and asks considerably less attention from the drinker.