APPEARANCE

ON THE VINE: Small to medium cylindrical bunches. Berries are thick-skinned, juicy, small, spherical in shape and black to steely blue in colour. An early ripener.

IN THE GLASS: A medium-pale ruby colour.

SMELL

Strawberry/raspberry notes, with some earthy aromas.

TASTE

Fruity and vivacious – it has a youthful fruitiness and suppleness that it contributes to Pinot Noir's weight and Chardonnay's elegance in sparkling wine made by the traditional method.

ORIGIN

Meunier is a mutation of Pinot Noir and was originally distinguishable from this Burgundian variety by being far more villous or hairy. Meunier, French for ‘miller’, refers to the underside of the variety's leaves, which are covered in a fine, felt-like down, as if they've been dusted with flour. In Germany the variety is referred to as Müllerrebe (miller's grape) or Schwarzriesling. As a vital member of traditional, bottle-fermented sparkling wine triumvirate, Pinot Meunier is the most widely planted grape in the Champagne region of France, and it occupies vineyard space in the Marne, Aube and Aisne.

IN SOUTH AFRICA

Simonsig planted the Cape's first commercial Pinot Meunier vineyard in 1994 for use in their Kaapse Vonkel Cap Classique. However, it buds very late, making it more suitable for cooler areas.

ELSEWHERE IN THE WORLD

Besides Champagne, it’s also cultivated in Württemberg, north Baden, northern Italy, around Baugency in France's Loire, in Switzerland, and Austria. It’s bottled as a still red varietal wine in Australia, where the cultivar is quite widely planted, and small plantings can be found in California and New Zealand.

AGEING POTENTIAL

Pinot Meunier is the fastest-maturing component in Champagne, hence it's used more in non-vintage Champagnes. As a still wine, it does not age as well as Pinot Noir.

MATCHING WITH FOOD

SERVING TEMPERATURE

Between 15° and 18° C, or, in a sparkling wine, between 8° and 10° C.