Who’s Your Daddy: Petit Verdot

Quite often in the tasting room, someone tells me; “I’ve never heard of Petit Verdot!  Is that a new grape?”  What they don’t realize is that Petit Verdot is actually a very old grape, and is planted throughout many regions of the world.

Old PV vines: http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_Rm6P5OHJl6Q/S1teorF59MI/
AAAAAAAAAjM/qbxtMA4nE8g/s400/Wellington.jpg

Petit Verdot (pronounced ‘Puh-tee Ver-doh’) is one of the varietals planted in the Bordeaux region of France, along with others like Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (among others).  The name, “Petit Verdot”, translates to “little green”, which relates to the difficulty in growing the grape in the Bordeaux region.  

There are several complications with growing Petit Verdot grapes in Bordeaux, including both early and late season issues.  In the spring, if conditions are unfavorable, the Petit Verdot berries will be green and seedless, which will give more green and unripe character in a finished wine.  Petit Verdot is also a very late-ripening grape, which often exposes it to increased frost risk and complete loss of the crop. 

http://videsyvinos.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/petit-verdot.jpg

As a result of these difficulties, Petit Verdot is not planted in great quantity in Bordeaux.  When it does grow to full ripeness, it has big tannins (due to very thick skin) and relatively high acidity.  It is always used as a blending grape (usually in 5% or less quantities), to add dark color, structure, and big pepper/spice flavor to Bordeaux and Bordeaux-style blends.  In other regions of the world, which are more conducive to longer growing seasons (i.e. California, Virginia, Chile, Australia, etc), winemakers have been experimenting with 100% varietal wines of Petit Verdot.  A 100% Petit Verdot varietal is a big wine with very dark color and high tannin structure (which may be fantastic for ageing).  Often with Petit Verdot, one will find aromas of smoke, tobacco/cigar, leather, and earth tone characteristics.  Also, Petit Verdot can have hints of violet, leather, black pepper and other spices, and sometimes blueberry or blackberry.

A Petit Verdot, when in varietal or in a blend, is always a full-bodied wine, with higher tannins (especially in its youth), and is best paired with dishes that can “stand up to it”.  For example, Petit Verdot is fantastic with steak, or other red meats, particularly if they are made rare.  Bitter dishes, dishes with black pepper, duck, lamb, rich or salty dishes are also fantastic Petit Verdot pairing wines.  With Petit Verdot wines, one will want to avoid pairing with fish, creamy cheese dishes, or especially spicy foods (unless you want to use a fire extinguisher on your mouth).

So, where does Petit Verdot come from?

The origins of Petit Verdot are not completely resolved at this point in time, however, experts are relatively confident in at least one descendant of the grape.

Petit Verdot is a descendant of the ancient grape vine:

Balisca

http://www.cocinasemana.com/upload/images/2011/3/23/21614_15238_1.jpg

There are records of Petit Verdot as early as the late 16th and early 17th centuries.  It is speculated that Petit Verdot descended from Balisca, which came from Albania from the Greeks and/or Romans.  Others that are skeptical of this Balisca origin believe Petit Verdot may have been a mutant variety that evolved during the Middle Ages in warmer southwest France.  This is the extent of the history that I was able to dig up (without emailing the folks at U.C. Davis, anyway!), and apparently that is all that is known at this point in time about the origin of Petit Verdot.

So, there you have it.  It’s possible/likely that the “mommy” or “daddy” (I’m not judging…) of Petit Verdot is the ancient vine Balisca! 

I hope you enjoyed this short lesson, and please feel free to comment below!

Cheers!

I am not a health professional, nor do I pretend to be. Please consult your doctor before altering your alcohol consumption habits. Do not consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21. Do not drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly!

I am not a health professional, nor do I pretend to be. Please consult your doctor before altering your alcohol consumption habits. Do not consume alcohol if you are under the age of 21. Do not drink and drive. Enjoy responsibly!