Blanc de Noirs: How Red Grapes Become White Wine

Dark grapes and pale wine may sound contradictory. Yet the colour in your glass is shaped not only by the grape itself, but especially by how long the juice remains in contact with the skins. That is the key to Blanc de Noirs.

What does Blanc de Noirs mean?

The French expression literally means “white from blacks”. It describes a pale wine made entirely from dark blue or black grapes. This is possible because the flesh and juice of most red grape varieties are light in colour. Their red and blue pigments, known as anthocyanins, are concentrated mainly in the skins.

When the grapes are pressed quickly and gently and the pale juice is separated from the skins, very little colour passes into the must. The must is then fermented like a white wine. The finished wine is pale and may sometimes show golden-yellow reflections.

How is Blanc de Noirs made?

1. Grapes arrive as intact as possible

Healthy, minimally damaged berries help prevent colour from leaching into the juice before pressing. Once juice and skins remain together, pigments can begin to dissolve.

2. Gentle pressing

The dark grapes are pressed carefully. The aim is not to avoid every second of skin contact, but to keep it short and controlled.

3. Juice and skins are separated

The pale must is drawn off promptly and fermented without the red skins. It therefore keeps a white-wine colour even though the grapes were dark on the outside.

Blanc de Noirs, rosé and Blanc de Blancs

For rosé, the juice remains in contact with dark skins for longer. More pigment is extracted, giving the wine its pink colour. Blanc de Noirs, by contrast, is made to remain as pale as possible.

Blanc de Blancs refers—in Champagne, for example—to sparkling wine made solely from white grape varieties. Champagne Blanc de Noirs is made only from dark varieties such as Pinot Noir and/or Meunier. These terms identify the colour of the grapes used; they do not automatically tell you the wine’s sweetness or quality.

Orange wine takes the opposite approach: white grapes are fermented or macerated with their skins for longer, drawing colour and structure from pale grape skins.

Is Blanc de Noirs always sparkling?

No. The term is strongly associated with Champagne and other sparkling wines, but Blanc de Noirs can also be still. The Degusto shop currently lists both a still Pinot Noir vinified as a white wine and a Blanc de Noir Crémant de Luxembourg. In both cases, the principle remains the same: dark grapes, pale vinification.

What does Blanc de Noirs taste like?

There is no single compulsory flavour profile. The German Wine Institute commonly describes Blanc de Noirs as having expressive fruit, pleasant freshness and moderate acidity. The grape variety, origin and winemaking choices still shape each bottle. That meeting of white-wine vinification and red grapes can make the style a versatile partner for many different dishes.

The short answer

Blanc de Noirs is pale wine made from dark grapes. Fast, gentle pressing and early separation of juice and skins prevent much colour from entering the must. Still or sparkling, the words “Blanc de Noir(s)” on the label tell you that red grapes sit behind the pale colour.

Explore Luxembourg Blanc de Noirs and other wine styles in the Degusto shop.