The wine world has officially gained a new grape variety

Sémillon Gris has been grown in the Cape for centuries and has only now been recognised. The OIV, the International Organisation of Vine and Wine, has recently included the variety in the International List of Vine Varieties, listing South Africa as its country of origin.
By: Ingrid Larmoyeur (the Wine Institute) | Image: Pexels

But ‘new’ is a rather relative term here. Sémillon Gris has probably been around for about two centuries. It is a natural, pink- to red-skinned mutation of Sémillon Blanc, originating in South African vineyards. There, it grew amongst the ordinary Sémillon, was harvested and processed alongside it, and was known locally as ‘Rooi Groendruif’.

Sémillon was once hugely important in the Cape. In the 19th century, it even accounted for the vast majority of the vineyards. Following the phylloxera epidemic and large-scale replanting, Sémillon Gris largely disappeared from the scene, but a few isolated vines survived in old vineyards.

Recognition

So why has it only gained recognition now? Andrea and Chris Mullineux began selecting Sémillon Gris vines in 2012 from an old Swartland vineyard dating back to 1960. After years of research, propagation and certification, a mother block was established at their Roundstone Estate in 2022. As a result, healthy, certified planting material is now available and Sémillon Gris officially has its own place on the OIV list.

And in the glass?

Sémillon Gris is usually vinified as a white wine. Skin contact can give the wine a coppery to pale pink hue and added body.

Sémillon Gris can offer notes of citrus, stone fruit and floral aromas, amongst others, with a full-bodied texture and, at times, a touch of phenolic grip. Skin contact can give the wine a coppery to pale pink hue. Examples include Mullineux ‘The Gris’ and Thorne & Daughters ‘Tin Soldier’, a remarkable 100% Sémillon Gris from Swartland.

Origins

New grape varieties arise, for example, through cross-breeding or grafting. But what is remarkable here is that nothing new has been created. A historic, spontaneously occurring mutation that has existed amongst other vines for centuries is now, for the first time, being given its own official identity, with South Africa recognised as its place of origin.
A new grape variety with a particularly long history, then.

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