It has “whitened”
The original Pinot is black. Many consider it the greatest grape variety for wine production, and black Pinot from Burgundy has been among the most expensive wines in the world for decades. In German-speaking countries, it is referred to with variations of the word burgunder. Pinot Gris has naturally mutated and lost part of its colour, but the grapes still have relatively dark skins, while the wines are classified as white. Pinot Blanc has gone a step further and become completely “white.”
Historically, it was often confused with Chardonnay, even in our region at the end of the last century. Black Pinot - and therefore also white Pinot - is one of the parent varieties of Chardonnay. The first records of Pinot Blanc date back to 1895 and 1896. The mutations were discovered in Burgundy, in vineyards in Chassagne-Montrachet and Nuits-Saint-Georges, and are believed to have originated from Pinot Gris.
In the Palatinate it is “Ruländer”
The first mention of Pinot Gris was in a letter sent in France in 1283, although it is unclear which exact variety was meant, as the same name referred to different wines. The earliest reliable record dates from 1711 in Germany, where a new vine was discovered in the famous Palatinate region along the Rhine and named Ruländer. This name is still used today for Pinot Gris in German-speaking regions.
Pinot Gris produces great wines in Alsace, now in France, although it was not always the case. There, Pinot Blanc is often treated as a “workhorse” variety — widely planted but mostly used in blends and sparkling wines such as Crémant d’Alsace. Today, most Pinot Blanc is found in northern Italy, where it covers more than 5,000 hectares — nearly a third of Croatia’s total vineyard area.
Zagreb region and beyond
In France, there are just under 4,000 hectares, in Germany slightly more than 3,500, and in Austria around 2,000 hectares. In Croatia, it is popular in the Zagreb wine-growing region. At the end of the 20th century, almost every tavern in the capital claimed to serve Pinot Blanc, and so much was consumed that even all the grapes from Italy, France, Germany, and Austria would not have been enough. It is also present in the Bregovita Hrvatska wine region, with smaller plantings in Istria and the Danube region, especially in Srijem.
Jancis Robinson, in her book Wine Grapes, which describes 1,368 grape varieties, states that wines made from Pinot Blanc are among the most underrated in the world. She briefly describes them as delivering convincing, medium-bodied white wines.
In recent decades, Croatia has also had good examples of what Pinot Blanc can achieve. Among the best was certainly “Bijeli Pinto,” as the Šember family from Pavlovčani near Jastrebarsko called their Pinot Blanc wines about 20 years ago.
Underrated
The 2005 and 2002 vintages are remembered as excellent wines, although they were produced in very small quantities, with much of it consumed at winery gatherings. Both were truly friendly yet convincing wines.
Today, most Croatian Pinot Blanc wines are aromatic and pleasant in both aroma and taste, making them ideal for everyday enjoyment. They pair well with simple starters, main courses based on meat, fish, and seafood, as well as light desserts.
But is that enough? Not really. After all, it is a mutation of black Pinot — one of the greatest grape varieties of all, if we exclude Riesling.