The Winery Altschwager Kenneally of Central Otago of South Island

Discover the grape variety: Douce noire

The douce noire, as its name indicates, is a black grape variety. It originated in the region between the valleys of the Isère and Saône rivers. Often in autumn, its foliage takes on a red hue. The bunches of the black sweet are larger than average. They are compact and winged. Spherical, its berries are of normal size. The flesh is juicy, soft and sweet. Although it is on the verge of extinction, this variety is still present in some Jura vineyards. Some call it corbeau, especially in Savoie, but it has other names such as gros noir, plant de Calarin and pecot. The sweet black is associated with an average budding and a late first ripening. Hardy and vigorous, it adapts to poorly irrigated soils. This variety produces a wine with low alcohol content, flat, soft and without much finesse. It should be consumed within the year. Sweet black is generally grown with Persian. It must be associated with other grape varieties to be better. Nowadays, this variety is not multiplied at all.