Pinot blanc: Back to Winemaking – Back to Grapes – Back to Countries
Top thirteen grapes:
Reds – Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon – Malbec – Merlot –
Whites – Chardonnay – Gewürztraminer – Muscat –
Pinot blanc – Pinot gris – Riesling – Sauvignon blanc
Next twenty-five grapes:
Reds – Barbera – Carignan – Gamay – Grenache – Mourvèdre – Petit Verdot –
Sangiovese – Tannat – Tempranillo – Touriga Nacional – Zweigelt
Whites – Albariño – Aligoté – Arinto – Chenin blanc – Malvasia –
Müller-Thurgau – Muscat-Ottonel – Sémillon – Tămâioasă Românească –
Traminer – Ugni-blanc – Viognier – Welschriesling
– and Cava
Often thought of as an understudy to Chardonnay, it produces a similar medium to-full-bodied wine. Its name is from the French for pine (ie its tight clusters) and white.  Image source: victoriananursery.co.uk Its origin is usually stated as Burgundy, but Alsace would become its spiritual home. Though, even here, it ‘plays second-fiddle’, to both Gewürztraminer and Riesling. It is also widely planted in north-east Italy and Germany. |
| Taste/smell: It has an almond aroma and has flavours of apples, apricots, lemons, nectarine, peach and pears. It is often blended with Auxerrois.  Image source: virginwines.co.uk Varieties/Mutations:During a series of trials between 1930 and 1935, Pinot blanc was crossed with Riesling to create the white Italian wine grape variety Manzoni bianco. A conservatory collection of 200 or so clones was planted in Alsace in 1984. Two other conservatories have been planted: – one of twenty-four clones in the Champagne wine-growing region – one of fourteen clones in the French wine region of Côte-d’Or, Burgundy in 1993. | Description: Image source: www.plantgrape.fr It is a mutation of Pinot noir that produces a white to green-yellow grapes. The bunches grow tightly together and are small-to-medium in size and the berries are small.  Image source: www.plantgrape.fr It has fewer leaf lobes than Pinot gris and Pinot noir. It proves easier to grow. |
| Pinot blanc producing countries: Big Five Producers: (overall 42% of vineyards, 64% of wine production and 41% of wine consumption – OIV 2022) Spain: Navarre. France: Alsace, Burgundy and Champagne. Italy: Alto Adige and Alpine areas. USA: Pennsylvania. Chile: Costas, Entre Cordilleras and Los Andes. Next Ten Largest Producers: (with big five, responsible overall for 75% of vineyards, 88% of wine production, 64% of wine consumption – OIV 2022) Argentina: Patagonia. Australia: Adelaide Hills, Alpine Valleys, Margaret River and Yarra Valley. China: Xinjiang. Germany: Baden, Nahe, Pfalz, Rheinhessen, Saale-Unstrut and Sachsen. India Bangalore and Dilkhush. New Zealand: grows Pinot blanc rarely. Portugal: Távora-Varosa. Romania: none detected. South Africa: Jonkershoek Valley and Stellenbosch. Turkey: grows Pinot blanc rarely. Others countries growing Pinot blanc: Austria, Canada, Croatia, Czechia, Georgia, Greece, Hungary, Japan, Moldova, Peru, Russia, Slovenia, Switzerland, UK, Ukraine, Uruguay… | Grape is also known as: Arbst weiss, Arnaison blanc, Arnoison, Auvernas, Auvernat, Beli Pinot, Beyaz Burgunder, Biela Klevanjka, Bijeli pinot (Croatia), Blanc de Champagne, Bon blanc, Borgogna bianco, Borgognino, Burgundac beli, Burgunder blanc, Burgunder weiss, Burgunder weisser, Burgundske Biele, Claevner, Clavner, Clevner, Daune, Epinette, Fehér Burgundi (Hungary), Fehér Klevner (Austria), Fehérburgrurdi, Fehérburgundi, Gentil blanc, Kleinedel, Kleiner weiss, Klevner, Morillon blanc, Pineau, Pineau blanc, Pino Belyi, Pinot bianco (Italy, Spain), Pinot Bianco verde, Pinot blanc d;Alsace, Pinot blanc vrai, Pinot branco, Pinot Doux, Pinot verde, Plant de la Dole, Plant Dore, Roci Bile, Rouci Bile, Rouci Bile, Rulandské bílé (Slovak), Rulaender weiss, Vert Plant, Weis Silber, Weiss Elder, Weissarbst, Weissburgunder (Austria, Germany), Weissclaeven, Weissclevener, Weisser Arbst, Weisser Burgunder (Germany), Weisser Klevner, Weisser Rulander, Weissklevner…  Image: fairhavenvinenursery.com |
Alto Adige – Image source: altoadigewines.com
Pinot blanc: Back to Winemaking – Back to Grapes – Back to Countries
Top thirteen grapes:
Reds – Cabernet Franc – Cabernet Sauvignon – Malbec – Merlot –
Whites – Chardonnay – Gewürztraminer – Muscat –
Pinot blanc – Pinot gris – Riesling – Sauvignon blanc
Next twenty-five grapes:
Reds – Barbera – Carignan – Gamay – Grenache – Mourvèdre – Petit Verdot –
Sangiovese – Tannat – Tempranillo – Touriga Nacional – Zweigelt
Whites – Albariño – Aligoté – Arinto – Chenin blanc – Malvasia –
Müller-Thurgau – Muscat-Ottonel – Sémillon – Tămâioasă Românească –
Traminer – Ugni-blanc – Viognier – Welschriesling
– and Cava
