St. Laurent (grape)

St. Laurent (sometimes written in French as Saint Laurent or in German as Sankt Laurent) is a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety of the same family as Pinot Noir, originating in France.

St. Laurent is the most widely planted red grape variety in the Czech Republic, growing in all wine subregions in both Moravia and Bohemia. It comprises approximately 9% of total vineyards, or 1,730 hectares (4,300 acres).^[1]

In Austria, it is primarily found in the regions Niederösterreich and Burgenland. In 2008, Austrian plantations stood at 794 hectares (1,960 acres), and have expanded in the 2000s as a part of general red wine trend in Austria, after having declined somewhat during the 1990s.^[2][3]

A small quantity of St. Laurent is also grown in New Zealand after an import in 2002 into Alexandra, Central Otago.

Offspring

• Zweigelt was created in 1922 by Fritz Zweigelt by crossing Blaufränkisch and St. Laurent.
• André was bred in 1960 by J. Horák by crossing St. Laurent and Blaufränkisch, and entered into the Czech State Register of Grape Varieties in 1980.^[4]
• Neronet is (St. Laurent x Blauer Portugieser) x (Alicante Bouschet x Cabernet Sauvignon), where Alicante Bouschet x Cabernet Sauvignon was given the name Alibernet.
• Rondo is Zarya Severa x St. Laurent. It was initially labelled Gm 6494-5, as it was number 5 in a series of similar crosses. Other members of the Gm 6494 population were used to create Bronner, Baron, Cabernet Carbon, Prior und Souvignier Gris.

Synonyms

St. Laurent is known under the following synonyms:^[5] Blauer Saint Laurent, Chvartser, Laourentstraoube, Laurenzitraube, Laurenztraube Lorentstraube, Lorenztraube, Lovrenac Crni, Lovrijenac, Lovrijenac Crni, Pinot Saint Laurent, Pinot Sent Laourent, Saint Laurent Noir, Saint Lorentz, Sankt Laurent, Sankt Lorenztraube, Sant Lorentz, Schwarzer, Schwarzer Lorenztraube, Sent Laourent, Sent Lovrenka, Sentlovrenka, Shentlovrenka, Shvartser, St. Laurent, Svati Vavrinetz, Svatovavřinecké, Svatovavrinetske, Svatovavrinetzke, Svaty Vavrinec, Szent Loerinc, Szent Loerinczi, Szent Loerine, Szentloerinc, Vavrinak

References

Further reading

• Pierre Galet: Dictionnaire encyclopédique des cépages. 1. Auflage. Hachette Livre, 2000, ISBN 2-0123633-18. 
• Walter Hillebrand, Heinz Lott und Franz Pfaff: Taschenbuch der Rebsorten. 13. Auflage. Fachverlag Fraund, Mainz, 2003, ISBN 3-921156-53-x. 
• Robinson, Jancis (Editor). The Oxford Companion to Wine (3rd edition ed.). ISBN 0-19-860990-6.