Durif
Also known as Petite Sirah, Petite Syrah
Isère, France
An inky, tannic red raised in the 1860s from Syrah and Peloursin, known in California as Petite Sirah and in Rutherglen, Australia, as Durif.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Warm climate
Ripening
Late season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
United States of America
Australia
Rutherglen (Victoria)
Grown as Durif for big, dark, powerful reds.
Background
Origin & History
Durif was raised by the botanist François Durif in the 1860s at Tullins, near Grenoble, and named Plant du Rif before Victor Pulliat named it after him in 1868. DNA fingerprinting at UC Davis in 1997 showed that it is a cross of Peloursin, which provided the flowers, and Syrah, which provided the pollen. It gave very dark, tannic wines, but it is prone to rot in damp weather and did best in drier climates than France's.
It arrived in California in the 1880s, where it is called Petite Sirah, and in Australia, where Rutherglen makes powerful, dark Durif.
Lineage
Family tree
Ancestry above, descendants below. Click a related grape to explore its own lineage.