Blanc de Noirs is a white wine made from which type of grapes?

• A. A white wine made from black grapes
• B. A white wine made from white grapes
• C. A red wine made from black grapes
• D. A rosé wine made from black grapes

Answer: (A)

Blanc de Noirs denotes white wine produced from dark-skinned grapes. In Champagne, this means pressing black-skinned varieties such as Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier and keeping the juice largely free from skin contact so the pigment in the skins doesn’t color the juice. The result is a white wine despite using dark grapes. This contrasts with red wines, which gain their color from extended skin contact, and with Blanc de Blancs, which is white wine made from white grapes like Chardonnay.