The Pinot blanc is an internationally widespread variety and the youngest member of the Pinot family.It is recognisable from its delicate, often restrained bouquet and its soft acidity, that often makes it an ideal blending partner with other white Pinot varieties.

probably Burgundy, France

Mutation of Grauer Burgunder

1,854.83 ha; 4.2%

White wine grape variety


Vineyard area

The area under this variety remains ­relatively constant in Austria.

A picture shows grapes from the grape variety Weissburgunder.

Important ampelographic features

© Austrian Wine / Oberleithner

Important ampelographic features

Leaf

medium-sized, pentagonal, three to five lobes, less deeply lobed

Grape cluster

medium-sized, densely berried, cylindrical, shouldered, often with small secondary clusters; berries are round-to-oval, have thin skins and are yellowish-green in colour

 

 

Ripening

Ripening

very early
early
early to middle
middle
middle to late
late
very late

Significance & conditions

Because of its somewhat subtle character, Pinot Blanc is often used in cuvée blends with other varieties and is sometimes vinified in small oak casks (barriques) using malolactic fermentation. To thrive, this variety demands a lot from the soil and its environment. Compared to Chardonnay, Pinot Blanc is more prone to botrytis because the grapes are more compact in the cluster.

Area under vine in Austria
(as a proportion of the variety’s total area)

Click on the wine origin in the list for a breakdown into more specific regions of origin.

Total area in Austria:

The Leithaberg and Neusiedlersee wine-growing regions overlap by almost 160 ha (Rieds Hausberg and Neuberg), according to the Austrian Wine Law. This means that the listed area under vine in Burgenland is 160 ha less than the actual total area across all wine-growing regions in Burgenland.

A picture shows a hand holding a glass of white wine.

Characteristics of the wine

© Austrian Wine / Blickwerk Fotografie

Characteristics of the wine

Only in good vineyards does this variety yield premium quality. Young wines have a blossomy expression and piquant acidity, while mature versions tend to develop flavours of bread and nuts. Élevage is slow and premium quality is only achieved with a longer period of bottle maturation.

 

Source varietal specifications: Höhere Bundeslehranstalt und Bundesamt für Wein- und Obstbau (Federal College and Federal Office for Viticulture, Oenology and Fruit Growing) in Klosterneuburg, “Austria’s Qualitätswein grape varieties and their clones“ („Österreichische Qualitätsweinrebsorten und deren Klone“), 2nd, reviewed edition, September 2015

Source area under vine: Calculation by Austrian Wine based on data from BML/IACS (as at 28 June 2023). Moving annual total (MAT) from June 2022 to June 2023.

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