Pinot blanc

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Pinot blanc
Pinot blanc
Pinot blanc grapes
Also called: Weissburgunder or Klevner (Austria), Fehér Burgundi (Hungary), Pinot bianco (Spain and Italy), Rulandské Bilé (Czech), Rulandské Biele (Slovak)
Notable regions: (see major regions)

Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a genetic mutation of Pinot gris, which is itself a mutation of Pinot noir.

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[edit] Origins and regional production

This grape is grown in several countries. In Alsace, Germany, Italy and Hungary, the wine produced from this grape is a full-bodied white. In France, the grape is particularly found in Alsace, where it is used for both still white wines and the most common variety used for sparkling wine, Crémant d'Alsace. Somewhat confusingly, the designation "Pinot blanc" for Alsace AOC wine does not necessarily mean that the wine is varietally pure Pinot blanc. (This is in difference to Pinot gris, which is a "true" varietal designation in Alsace.) Rather, the designation means that it is a white wine made from Pinot varieties. Under Alsace appellation rules, the varieties Pinot blanc, Auxerrois blanc, Pinot gris and Pinot noir (vinified white, without skin contact) may all be used[1], but a blend of Pinot blanc and Auxerrois is the most common. The most full-bodied "Pinot blanc" wines from Alsace, with a spicy and smokey character and moderate acidity, are likely dominated by Auxerrois grapes.

In Germany Pinot blanc is known as Weißer Burgunder or Weißburgunder, and the most powerful versions are usually made in Baden and Palatinate. In the United States it is mainly produced in California. In the United States, many of the vines called Pinot blanc are actually a different variety, Melon de Bourgogne/Muscadet, that resembles Chardonnay when on the vine. This mistake was discovered around the mid 1980s by a French oenologist who was examining rootstock while visiting University of California, Davis, and now Pinot blanc purchased from a nursery will be the genuine article. The grape is also grown in Austria and Hungary as well as in Burgundy, France.[2]

Pinot blanc has also been confused with Chardonnay, and wineries often vinify it in a similar style, using barrel fermentation, new oak and malolactic fermentation. It can also be treated more lightly and made into a crisper wine that still has some ability to age.

[edit] Wine characteristics

In Alsace, Germany, Italy and Hungary, the wine produced from this grape is a full-bodied dry white wine while in Germany and Austria they can be either dry or sweet.[2] One of the components of the wine Vin Santo can be Pinot blanc.[2]

In France the grape is often blended with Klevner and Auxerrois grapes to give it a more alsacian flavor.[3]

[edit] Names in other regions

Pinot blanc's name varies by region. In Austria it may be bottled as Weissburgunder or Klevner. Hungary calls it Fehér Burgundi and in Spain and Italy, Pinot bianco. In the Czech Republic, it is known as Rulandské Bilé.

[edit] External links

[edit] References

  1. ^ INAO: AOC Alsace appellation regulations, updated until February 16, 2006
  2. ^ a b c L. Brenner, Fear of Wine, p. 69 (1995) ISBN 0553374648
  3. ^ Pinot blanc Wine Information, French Wine Guide in Alsace