Grapes are grown worldwide typically for eating or for winemaking.

There are 17 genera (the plural of genus) that belong to the Vitaceae family of flowering plants. But just the one genus, Vitis, is important in the world of winemaking. And, of the nearly 80 species in this genus, just one, Vitis vinifera is generally grown for wine.

It is estimated that there are more than 10,000 grape varieties in cultivation. But, with today’s ability to do DNA analysis, it is thought that this number is actually around 5,000.

Now, if you were to do a search on “Pinot” wine grapes you could come up with a list that includes at least 26 different ones. But, many of these are simply synonyms for other grapes.

So, when it comes to the “Pinot” grapes, there are six primary clonal variations:

• Pinot Noir/Pinot Nero

• Pinot Gris/Pinot Grigio

• Pinot Blanc/Pinot Bianco

• Pinot Meunier

• Pinot Teinturier

• Pinot Noir Précoce

In future blogs we’ll take a further look at these 6 as well as provide a full listing of the 26 “Pinot” grapes. Until then, cheers!