In short: Alsace Pinot Gris is a full, fleshy white with smoky, dried fruit and honey notes, which the Alsace wine council recommends with pressed cheeses like Comté, Gruyère or Appenzeller. For a raclette, choose a Pinot Gris labeled “sec” (dry) (the sweetness indication is mandatory on the label) and a recent vintage: 2023, when Pinot Gris did particularly well, or the fresher 2024.
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Why Pinot Gris goes with raclette
Pinot Gris is the white that doesn’t get intimidated by a hefty cheese. Vins d’Alsace describes it as a “full and fleshy” wine, golden yellow, with smoky notes, apricot, honey, beeswax and gingerbread, good acidity and a long finish. The AOC specifications group Pinot Gris, along with Gewurztraminer, among wines that are “fruity, softer and marked by high dry extract”.
Above all, the Alsace wine council pairs it in black and white with pressed cheeses: for Comté, Beaufort, Appenzeller and Gruyère, it recommends Pinot Gris for its generosity and intensity. Raclette belongs to the same cheese family, and the pairing follows the same logic: in our opinion, a dry Pinot Gris is perfect with a Raclette du Valais AOP or a blend with Appenzeller, and it handles a smoked raclette very well, its smoke echoing the wine’s own smoky notes.
The only limit: if it’s too rich or too sweet, it weighs down a meal that’s already generous. Hence the importance of reading the label carefully.
Choosing your Alsace Pinot Gris
Read the sweetness indication
Good news for consumers: the specifications require AOC Alsace white wines (except vendanges tardives and sélections de grains nobles) to show their sugar content on the label as defined by EU regulations, “in very prominent lettering”. For raclette, aim for “sec” (dry). A “demi-sec” (off-dry) can work with a peppercorn raclette, in our view; a “moelleux” or “doux” (sweet), save it for foie gras or dessert.
100% Pinot Gris, and label terms to know
When the label says “Pinot Gris”, the wine comes exclusively from that grape, according to the specifications. A Pinot Gris bearing the name of a lieu-dit (named vineyard site) must be hand-harvested. The terms “vendanges tardives” (late harvest) and “sélection de grains nobles” (selection of noble-rot berries) also require hand-harvesting, a stated vintage and aging at least until June 1 of the second year after harvest. These cuvées are superb, but too rich for raclette: a dry AOC Alsace Pinot Gris will do better, and for less money.
And “Tokay”?
If your grandfather talked about “Tokay d’Alsace”, he wasn’t wrong. According to Vins d’Alsace, the grape was called Grauer Tokayer before 1870, and legend has it that Baron Lazare de Schwendi brought vines back from Tokaj, in Hungary, around 1565. Botanists rather think it was a Pinot Gris from Burgundy. Since April 1, 2007, only the name Pinot Gris appears on labels. The Guide Hachette notes that its share of Alsace plantings has risen from about 4 to 15% in forty years.
The best Alsace Pinot Gris vintages
The table combines the Wine Scholar Guild’s Alsace vintage chart with iDealwine’s scores for Alsace dry whites (out of 20). The “Drink” column is our advice for a raclette; for aging, the Guide Hachette gives Pinot Gris 3 to 10 years.
| Vintage | Quality / style | Drink |
|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Wine Scholar Guild: good to excellent; fresher, drier and livelier wines than in recent years. | Now: the style best suited to melted cheese |
| 2023 | Wine Scholar Guild: excellent, with Pinot Gris responding particularly well to the year. iDealwine (dry whites 16/20): often a full body, balanced by welcome freshness. | Now |
| 2022 | Wine Scholar Guild: an excellent year for dry wines, especially from the best sites. iDealwine: dry whites 16/20. | Now |
| 2021 | Wine Scholar Guild: good to excellent, taut dry wines. iDealwine (15/20): pleasant Pinot Gris, but without great structure. | Now |
| 2020 | Wine Scholar Guild: excellent to exceptional, all grapes gave good results. iDealwine (17/20): full, opulent Pinot Gris. | Now, for dry cuvées |
| 2019 | Wine Scholar Guild: exceptional, wines combining freshness, structure and richness. iDealwine: dry whites 17/20. | Now |
| 2018 | Wine Scholar Guild: Pinot Gris is among the great successes of a generous vintage. iDealwine (17/20): a good year, especially for Pinot Gris. | Now |
| 2017 | Wine Scholar Guild: excellent to exceptional, high quality for all grapes; harvest reduced by about 20% by spring frost. | Drink |
| 2016 | Wine Scholar Guild: excellent, with classic, fresh, balanced Pinot Gris. | Drink |
| 2015 | Wine Scholar Guild: exceptional, all grapes excelled. | Drink, but often rich for raclette |
How to serve Pinot Gris
- Temperature: 10 to 14 °C according to the Guide Hachette. For raclette, we aim for the low end of the range, around 10 °C: the heat of the machine will do the rest.
- Glass: a fairly wide white wine glass. Vins d’Alsace notes that a little aeration reveals its complexity.
- Decanter: not essential; opening the bottle a little before the meal is enough.
- Quantity: our benchmark is half a bottle per wine-drinking adult over the evening. Since Pinot Gris is more generous than a mountain white, serve it second, after a lighter white.
Other wines for raclette
Back to the complete guide to wines for raclette, or to the raclette pantry. To stay in Alsace, see our page on the more taut Riesling, and our Pinot Noir page for red. And for another full-bodied white from eastern France, read our page on Jura white wines.
Frequently asked questions
Is Alsace Pinot Gris dry or sweet?
Both exist. The specifications require AOC Alsace whites to show their sugar content on the label: for a raclette, choose a Pinot Gris labeled “sec” (dry).
Pinot Gris or Riesling with raclette?
Riesling is livelier and more taut, Pinot Gris fuller and smokier. In our opinion, Pinot Gris is the best choice for a smoked raclette or a very characterful cheese, Riesling for a classic raclette.
Why was it called Tokay d’Alsace?
According to Vins d’Alsace, the grape was called Grauer Tokayer before 1870, after a legend that it came from Hungary. Since April 1, 2007, only the name Pinot Gris has been used.
What temperature should you serve Pinot Gris at?
Between 10 and 14 °C according to the Guide Hachette. With raclette, we recommend the low end of the range, around 10 °C.
Sources
- Specifications of the AOC Alsace or Vin d’Alsace, version published in the BO-AGRI on January 15, 2026 (in French)
- Vins d’Alsace (wine council): Alsace Pinot Gris (in French)
- Vins d’Alsace: which wine with cheese
- Guide Hachette des Vins: AOC Alsace Pinot Gris (in French)
- Wine Scholar Guild: Alsace vintage chart
- iDealwine: 2023 vintage scores (in French)
- iDealwine: 2022 vintage scores (in French)
- iDealwine: 2021 vintage scores (in French)
- iDealwine: 2020 vintage scores (in French)
- iDealwine: 2019 vintage scores (in French)
- iDealwine: 2018 vintage scores, North-eastern France
