Oregon has slowly been carving out a niche for itself with Pinot Gris.

At first, the wines tended to be on the sweet side. Admittedly, the buying public was well served by the chosen moniker, Pinot Gris, over the more common and familiar Pinot Grigio. The difference can be subtle, but in essence the name informs the consumer that the wine should be in the richer, spicy and often just a touch sweet Alsatian style as opposed to the crisper, lighter Northern Italian style denoted by Pinot Grigio.

While many Oregon Pinot Gris wines continue to feature the added roundness ...