Petit Verdot is a red wine grape whose small, thick-skinned berries are valued for their depth of color. Traditionally the variety has played a small role in the classic blends of Bordeaux, but varietal Petit Verdot wines are now appearing in many regions of southern Europe, the Americas and Australia.
Petit Verdot has, unsurprisingly, a less well known but larger-berried cousin, Gros Verdot. The verdot part of the name translates roughly as "green one" and reflects the variety's propensity to under-ripeness; in cool seasons Petit Verdot vines produce bunches speckled with green, unripened berries. (© Proprietary Content, Wine-Searcher)
Due to the high levels of anthocyanins in the berry's thick skins, Petit Verdot wines tend to have a dense, inky, violet-black appearance. They also have high tannin levels, thanks to the small berries – specifically their high ratio of skin and seeds to juice.
The 1960s marked the beginning of a new chapter in Petit Verdot's history. In Bordeaux, the variety's traditional home, many Petit Verdot vines were uprooted, to be replaced with more reliable, more fashionable varieties. Wine consumer preferences (particularly in the US) were changing, in favor of plump, fruity Merlot and regal, structured Cabernet Sauvignon.
The variety's waning fashionability was not helped by the fact that it poses further problems in the vineyard beyond difficulties with ripening. Petit Verdot vines have relatively weak shoots and canes, meaning that they require careful handling. Beyond that, the variety is early budding (and therefore susceptible to wet or frosty spring weather) as well as late ripening, making it a liability in cool vintages. Were it not for the variety's thick skins and small, tight berries, which make it particularly resistant to rot and disease, it might never have become popular in Bordeaux at all.
For a while, it looked as though the variety might slip into oblivion. Happily, the 1980s saw something of a renaissance for Petit Verdot, particularly in New World regions such as California and Australia. Producers started experimenting with the variety in new environments, and in the early 21st Century it is now being used in various parts of the US, Australia, Italy, Spain, Portugal, Chile and Argentina. The regions in which it has enjoyed most success have one thing in common: a warm, dry climate. There are strong parallels between the stories of Petit Verdot and Carmenère – another former Bordeaux variety which is enjoying a new lease of life in the New World.
Synonyms include: Verdot, Petit Verdau.
Food matches for Petit Verdot include:
- Asturian bean stew (fabada)
- Braised beef
- Lentil soup with smoked ham hock
