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Tussock Jumper Pinot Grigio
WhiteItalyNV
By Daniel Min · Tasted 2020-05-28 · Published 2026-09-30 · Updated 2026-09-30
At a glance
In one line
3.5/5 — lower than Vivino's 3.6 average · world avg price US$11 · An Italian Pinot Grigio from a brand that dresses each country's animal in a red jumper on the label — for Italy, a wolf.
Only one of the critics Wine-Searcher tracks has reviewed this wine: 86. Vivino lists no critic score.
Market note: World average US$11 / 750ml (Wine-Searcher, ex-tax, Sep 2026). On the same basis the brand's New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc is US$12 (87), its California Zinfandel US$11 (85) and South African Chenin Blanc US$11 (87) — most sit between US$8 and US$16. Vivino keeps a single non-vintage record rated by 4,103 people; split by year, 2012–2023 releases with 30+ ratings score 3.4–3.9.
Father's note — Daniel Min
Original author of the notes“피노 그리지오 다국적 투썩, 쇼블의 느낌 같지만 청량함은 좀 더 떨어짐. 트로피칼 느낌에 가볍게 느낄 수 있지만 마지막 피니쉬에 나오는 산미와 카모마일의 잔향이 드라이하게 멋짐.”
Show original
“pineapple stone fruit grapefruit guava slate lemon chamomile 피노 그리지오 다국적 투썩^^, 쇼블의 느낌 같지만 청량함은 좀더 떨어짐. 트로피칼 느낌에 가볍게 느낄 수 있지만 마지막 피니쉬에 나오는 산미와 카모마일의 잔향이 드라이하게 멋짐.”
What I learned today: even a light wine has a finish.
Monday. When I came in after switching on the sign, Minjae was already at the counter. He took a bottle out of his bag — something his company had just started stocking. A label with an animal wearing a red jumper. Master Seo took the bottle, stood it with the label facing the wall, and poured only into my glass. The label is Minjae's job, he said; the nose is mine.
Pale straw. Pineapple, grapefruit, lemon. A little later, something like wet stone. I was starting to think it was light and plain, but after I swallowed, a flash of acidity rose at the end and left something like dried flower tea. Chamomile. That dry finish opened a kitchen before sunset.
Twenty-one, the very end of May, a Thursday evening. It was still light outside. Dad was all ready to go out; with his leather glass case hanging on the back of a kitchen chair, he opened a cloth-wrapped bottle. Just one glass together before I go, he said. The wine was light and cold. When I said there was a smell of chamomile tea at the end, Dad nodded and finished his glass. He put the bottle in the fridge, slung the case over his shoulder and went out. I don't know the name of the bottle.
I opened the notebook to that date — the same page, for the third day running. Below the port and the Bonnes-Mares, the very last line. The first words are a pun: "multinational Tussock". It feels like a Sauvignon Blanc, he wrote, but less refreshing. Tropical, so you could take it lightly, but the acidity and chamomile on the final finish are dry and wonderful. Three and a half stars. The bottle was Tussock Jumper Pinot Grigio. I stuck on the wine-name Post-it. It's the last line in the notebook, but that night began with this glass. The glass before Dad went out, the glass he set down when he came home late, and the port at midnight. Three lines, one evening.
Minjae talked about the label for a long time. Master Seo heard him out to the end, then said just one thing.
After closing, I wrote the name on the twentieth page of the new notebook. At the very bottom of the aroma box: "finish: chamomile". What I learned today: even a light wine has a finish. You only know it if you drink to the end.
What this wine is
Tussock Jumper is a wine brand without vineyards. Its co-founder, Gert-Jan Van Arkel, is said to have got the idea in 2011 from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a sheep on its label. For each country the brand picks a signature variety, and on the label stands an animal that evokes that country, wearing a red jumper. New Zealand gets a sheep; Italy, home of this Pinot Grigio, a wolf.
Instead of owning vineyards, the brand says, its specialists travel from country to country tasting, comparing and selecting. A 'tussock' is a clump of grass that grows all over the world, and the brand says it stands for staying close to nature. In 2014 the British trade magazine Harpers reported that the brand sourced wine from 11 countries and had sold two million bottles abroad by August that year.
This bottle is 100% Pinot Grigio from delle Venezie IGT in north-eastern Italy. The producer describes a clear straw colour, apple and pineapple aromas, a light body and a soft palate, and recommends serving it at 8–10°C. The 'multinational Tussock' in my note was a nod to the way the brand works.
What the world says
There are hardly any critics. Only one of those Wine-Searcher tracks has reviewed it, at 86.
Plenty of people drink it, though. On Vivino a single record, not split by vintage, has 4,103 ratings averaging 3.6. Threes are the largest group at 2,037, then 1,350 fours and 307 fives. By year, releases from 2012 to 2023 with 30+ ratings move between 3.4 and 3.9.
The aroma keywords run pear, green apple and apple (107 mentions), lemon, citrus and lime (56), pineapple and guava (28), and minerals and honey (19). Structure: acidity 3.1/5, intensity 2.7, sweetness 1.7. Light and dry.
"Minerals, lemon, citrus, apple. Nice and crisp" — Vivino review, Dec 2020, 3.5
How I drank it
May 28, 2020, 3.5 stars. I wrote down pineapple, stone fruit, grapefruit, guava, slate, lemon and chamomile.
My first words were 'multinational Tussock'. It felt like a Sauvignon Blanc, but a little less refreshing. Tropical enough that you could take it lightly — yet on the final finish the acidity rose and a chamomile echo lingered, dry. That finish was lovely.
The same day I gave Robert Groffier's Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru a 3.5 too, and Taylor's Vintage Port a 4. By world average price the Bonnes-Mares costs more than fifty times this bottle, yet that day the two got the same score. My 3.5 is almost exactly Vivino's 3.6.
Vivino community data
NV vintage rating distribution (4103 ratings, average 3.6)
| 5★ | 307 (7%) | |
| 4★ | 1350 (33%) | |
| 3★ | 2037 (50%) | |
| 2★ | 349 (9%) | |
| 1★ | 60 (1%) |
Most-mentioned aromas
| Family | Mentions | Top keywords |
|---|---|---|
| Tree fruit | 107 | pear 38 · green apple 27 · apple 24 · peach 8 · melon 5 |
| Citrus | 56 | lemon 27 · citrus 17 · lime 7 · grapefruit 3 · orange 1 |
| Tropical fruit | 28 | pineapple 22 · guava 3 · tropical 3 |
| Earth & leather | 19 | minerals 10 · honey 3 · stone 2 · plastic 2 · mushroom 1 |
| Aging & yeast | 8 | cheese 5 · yeast 3 |
Structure: Acidity 3.1/5 · Intensity 2.7/5 · Sweetness 1.7/5
Average by vintage (all vintages: 4103 ratings, average 3.6)
| Vintage | Average | Ratings |
|---|---|---|
| 2012 | 3.4 | 65 |
| 2013 | 3.4 | 94 |
| 2014 | 3.7 | 49 |
| 2015 | 3.4 | 275 |
| 2016 | 3.4 | 384 |
| 2017 | 3.7 | 445 |
| 2018 | 3.6 | 693 |
| 2019 | 3.6 | 514 |
| 2020 | 3.5 | 490 |
| 2021 | 3.7 | 373 |
| 2022 | 3.6 | 149 |
| 2023 | 3.9 | 189 |
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→Frequently asked questions
What kind of wine is Tussock Jumper Pinot Grigio?
An Italian Pinot Grigio (delle Venezie IGT, wolf label) from Tussock Jumper, a brand that selects wines country by country and labels them with animals in red jumpers. Vivino 3.6 (4,103 ratings), 12% alcohol.
How much does it cost?
Wine-Searcher's world average is US$11 per 750ml (ex-tax, Sep 2026). As of September 2026 no overseas retailers were listed on Wine-Searcher.
What food goes with it?
The Vivino community suggests shellfish, vegetarian dishes, mushrooms, or as an aperitif. The producer recommends light starters, fish and seafood, served chilled at 8–10°C.
Why is the animal on the label wearing a jumper?
Tussock Jumper dresses an animal that evokes each country in a red jumper on the label: a sheep for New Zealand, a wolf for the Italian Pinot Grigio. The founder is said to have got the idea from a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc with a sheep on its label.
Links & sources
View on Vivino · Prices on Wine-Searcher
- Vivino — wine page and community data
- Tussock Jumper — About us
- Tussock Jumper — Pinot Grigio
- Harpers — Tussock Jumper wine brand finally arrives in UK thanks to Amazon
- Wine-Searcher — Tussock Jumper Pinot Grigio delle Venezie IGT
Read next
Swipe for more →
Tasted the same dayRobert Groffier Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2014
France · Burgundy★★★½☆Tasted the same dayTaylor's Vintage Port 2017
Portugal★★★★☆Same producerMollydooker Blue Eyed Boy Shiraz 2018
Australia · South Australia★★★★★Same producerNuala Sauvignon Blanc 2019
New Zealand · Marlborough★★★★☆Same producerNapa by N.A.P.A., Michael's Red 2015
United States · Napa★★★★☆Same producer