Food Encyclopedia

Cinsaut

A red-wine grape that is widely planted in France and particularly extensively grown throughout the Languedoc-Roussillon, where it contributes greatly to the area's huge volume of wine. In the southern rhône where its yield is strictly controlled (a limited volume per acre), Cinsaut produces wines that are deeply colored, concentrated and flavorful. Here, Cinsaut is blended with many other grape varieties including grenache, mourvèdre and syrah. The South Africans have crossed Cinsaut with pinot noir to create a grape variety they call Pinotage.