What is Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc is a white wine grape that is best known for its plantings in the Alsace region of France. In the vineyard, this grape has a rosy, near-pink hue. Pinot Blanc is actually a mutation of the red grape Pinot Noir, and, like Pinot Gris, is not a purely white grape. Instead, there is pigment in the skin, leading to color in the juice and fleshiness and body in the resulting wines.
On the palate, Pinot Blanc medium to full in body and offers apple, citrus, white flower and, sometimes, stone fruit, with a backbone of minerality. These wines are typically produced with youthful consumption in mind and are often vinified without oak contact.
In warmer climates, the grape tends to show some tropical notes, like passion fruit and other tropical fruits.
France
Pinot Blanc is widely planted in Alsace, where it is typically blended with Auxerrois. The grape is used to make still white wines as well as Crémant d’Alsace, a sparkling wine made using the traditional method of production.
Global Production
Stellar examples of Pinot Blanc are grown in Germany, where the grape is known as Weissburgunder. Pinot Blanc is also grown in Italy, Luxembourg, Austria, Spain, the Czech Republic and Slovakia. In the New World, winemakers in Canada’s Okanagan Valley, South Africa and parts of California have had success with the grape.
