Pinot Meunier
Variety · Intermediate · 2 min read
Pinot Meunier is a black-skinned grape variety closely related to Pinot Noir, distinguished by the downy white hairs on the underside of its leaves (the meunier part means miller). It is one of the three classic Champagne varieties, alongside Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and accounts for roughly a third of all Champagne plantings. In the UK, it is a small but growing component of traditional method sparkling wines.
The name and the vine
The name means miller's Pinot in French, because the underside of the leaf looks like it has been dusted with flour. Pinot Meunier is a mutation of Pinot Noir, sharing much of the same DNA but with a slightly different growth habit. It buds later than Pinot Noir, which gives it a small natural protection against spring frosts, and it tends to ripen a little earlier.
The wines are softer and more rounded than Pinot Noir, with red fruit, sometimes a touch of smoke, and a generally approachable character. In Champagne, Pinot Meunier is the workhorse of the non-vintage blends, providing fruit, roundness and an earlier-drinking style. In the UK, it is increasingly planted for the same reasons.
Pinot Meunier in the UK
UK Pinot Meunier plantings are still modest, well behind Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, but the variety is gaining ground. The main attractions are its late bud break (a small but useful insurance against frost), its reliable ripening, and the soft, fruity character it brings to sparkling blends. Producers including Hambledon, Gusbourne, Hush Heath, Balfour and Nyetimber have planted Meunier on their better sites.
WineGB's 2024 plantings data showed Meunier as one of the fastest-growing varieties in the UK, with new plantings in Sussex, Kent, Hampshire, East Anglia and the home counties. The English Sparkling PDO permits Meunier, and the variety is increasingly used in non-vintage blends and in single-varietal Blanc de Noirs.
Flavour and use
A still Pinot Meunier is rarely made, but when it is, it tends to be soft, juicy and red-fruited, sometimes with a smoky edge. As a sparkling base wine, it adds roundness and a touch of body to the blend, complementing the structure of Pinot Noir and the finesse of Chardonnay.
In Champagne, Pinot Meunier is sometimes called the "third grape" of the trio, but it is essential to the style of the non-vintage blends that the big houses sell in the largest quantities. UK winemakers are increasingly taking the same view, valuing the variety for the character it brings to a blend.