Grape variety
Diolinoir
Diolinoir: the Valais crossing of Robin Noir and Pinot Noir, bred at Changins in 1970. Inky, tannic and the colour-giver in many blends.
- Colour
- Red
- Parentage
- Robin Noir (Rouge de Diolly) × Pinot Noir, crossed in 1970 by André Jaquinet at Changins
- Grown in Switzerland
- About 125 hectares, more than three quarters of them in Valais
- Typical aromas
- Blackberry, black cherry, violet, spice
- Classic pairing
- Game, pot roast, aged Valais cheese
- Synonym
- Dioli Noir; breeding code Pully 4-42
Diolinoir sounds like an ancient Valais variety but is one of the youngest. In 1970 André Jaquinet, at the federal research station of Changins, whose vine-breeding unit then worked at Pully, crossed Pinot Noir with Robin Noir, a variety of uncertain origin that was noticed in the 1920s in the vine collection at Diolly above Sion and has been called Rouge de Diolly in Valais ever since. The two names make Diolinoir. The aim was clear: a Pinot-like wine with far more colour. The breeding code Pully 4-42 gives away its origin in the same workshop that produced Gamaret and Garanoir the same year.
Today there are about 125 hectares of Diolinoir in Switzerland, more than three quarters of them in Valais, where the grape covers nearly 100 hectares and ranks among the leading red specialities. Smaller plantings exist in Vaud and German-speaking Switzerland. The vine is of medium vigour, well armed against rot and ripens at about the same time as Pinot Noir and Gamay, which makes it easy to manage for Valais growers.
In the glass Diolinoir is almost black, with violet glints. Blackberry, black cherry, violet and spice mark the nose; on the palate it shows dense, firm tannins and lively freshness. Its classic role is to give colour and structure in blends: a small share of Diolinoir turns a pale Valais Pinot Noir or a cuvée of Gamay and Syrah into a dark, powerful red. More and more estates, however, also bottle it on its own, usually after ageing in barrique, which rounds its tannins; such wines keep well for five to eight years. Diolinoir rosé also exists, with the grape lending it a deep colour.
At the table Diolinoir suits game and anything slow-braised: venison stew, pot roast, lamb ragout, with aged Valais raclette cheese or a piece of alpine cheese. It also stands up to a dessert of dark chocolate or red berries. Serve it at 16 to 18 degrees, and a young Diolinoir can take an hour in a decanter.
To find it, look to Valais between Martigny, Chamoson, Sion and Sierre, where many estates list it as a speciality alongside Cornalin and Humagne Rouge. For drinkers who like Pinot Noir but want more colour and drive, Diolinoir is a step worth taking, and proof that a modern crossing can express a terroir as well as an old variety.