Mutants live all around us. I’m not trying to go all “Patrick Stewart” here, but without it we wouldn’t be here would we? And one of the great things we get to see is mutation happening in real time these days, mostly cos we now know to look for it. It happens with grapes a lot!
Pinot Blanc is a mutation of Pinot Noir. Pinot Noir is a bit unstable, and now and again you get a bunch of white grapes growing on the vine. That’s where Pinot Blanc came from.
Nowadays it’s grown across Alsace, Germany, Hungary, Austria, and others as a grape variety out there on it’s own.
In Alsace it’s made into full bodied (bulky in the mouth) and dry (not sweet) wine, where you can get green fruit, citrus, and a bit minerality. Just from hearing that you can see why it sometimes gets mixed up with Chardonnay!
Cheers
Other Posts in NWTW Week 44:
#NWTW Week 44: Pinot Blanc From Alsace (Part One)
