Canari noir is a red French wine grape variety that has been historically grown in the Ariège department in the foothills of the French Pyrénées. However

DNA profiling DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding. DNA profiling is a forensic tec ...

in 2001 showed that plantings of a grape called ''Gamay Luverdon'' growing in the Italian wine region of Piedmont were in fact plantings of Canari noir. Across the Pyrénées in Spain, the grape variety known as ''Batista'' was also found to be identical to Canari noir. Like

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

and

Grenache Grenache () or Garnacha () is one of the most widely planted red wine grape varieties in the world. Niels Lillelund: ''Rhône-Vinene'' p. 25, JP Bøger – JP/Politikens Forlagshus A/S, 2004. . It ripens late, so it needs hot, dry conditi ...

, Canari noir has color mutations known as ''Canari blanc'' and ''Canari gris''.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 183-184 Allen Lane 2012

History

Canari noir has a long history of being grown in the Ariège and Haute-Garonne departments in the shadows of the Pyrénées mountains but recent DNA evidence have led

ampelographers Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of the ...

to speculate that the grape was once more widely grown across the border into Spain and perhaps eastward throughout southern France and across the Alps into Italy. This is because grape varieties grown in Spain (Batista) and the Val Chisone and

Susa Valley The Susa Valley ( it, Val di Susa; pms, Valsusa; french: Val de Suse; oc, Val d'Ors) is a valley in the Metropolitan City of Turin, Piedmont region of northern Italy, located between the Graian Alps in the north and the Cottian Alps in the sou ...

(Gamay Luverdon) in Piedmont, Italy were found by DNA profiling to be the same variety as Canari noir. Today the grape is nearly extinct with only a few scattered plantings throughout Ariège and at the conservation vineyard of Les Vignerons Ariégeois in

Montégut-Plantaurel Montégut-Plantaurel (; oc, Montagut de Plantaurèl) is a commune in the Ariège department in southwestern France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprise ...

where growers hope to turn experimental plantings into commercial wine production.

Viticulture

Canari noir is a mid-late ripening variety that can be very vigorous and high yielding. Its main

viticultural hazard This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *'' Ampeloglypter ater'' *'' Am ...

is its susceptible to

botrytis bunch rot ''Botrytis cinerea'' is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as "botrytis bunch rot"; in horticulture, it is usually called "grey mould" or ...

. Similar to the relationship between Pinot noir/ Pinot blanc and Grenache/ Grenache blanc, Canari noir has two color mutations, Canari blanc and Canari gris. However unlike the Pinot and Grenache varieties, the other Canari grapes are rarely seen and not currently used in commercial wine production.

Synonyms and confusion with other varieties

Over the years Canari noir has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Balza, Batista (in Spain), Blanchette rouge, Blanquette rouge, Boudales, Bourgogne, Caillaba, Canari, Canaril, Canarill (in the Ariège and Haute-Garonne departments), Carcasses, Carcassès (in Ariège), Cargo nalt, Cargonalt, Chalosse noire, Cot a Queue verte, Cot vert du Saumurois, Cotes Vertes, Enfin, Errone de Grolleau, Esquisse Braguette, Folle noir de la Viene, Folle noire, Gamay Luverdon (in the Val di Susa and Val Chisone region of Piedmont), Gamay de Malain, Gamay Malain, Grosse Negrette, Luverdon, Oeil de Chope, Œil de Chope, Ondane, Ondenc noir, Pinot gris, Pinot Gris Mendoza, Saint Helene, Sainte-Helene, Semis rouge, Ugne noir and Ugne noire. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Canari noir
'' Accessed: April 25th, 2013 Synonyms for Canari blanc include: Bellecital, Caillaba and Cailleba. Canari gris has no known synonyms recognized by the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) maintained by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC)
Canari gris
' Accessed: April 25th, 2013 Canari noir several synonyms with the Malbec grape known as ''Côt'' in Southwest France and associated with the wines of Bordeaux and Cahors. However, despite often being confused for each other there is no known relationship between the two grape varieties.

References

{{reflist Red wine grape varieties