Blanc du Bois

When released in 1987, Blanc du Bois became another grape variety in the small but growing number of vine types that can both produce marketable wine on their own yet can withstand Pierce's Disease, a bacterial infection that destroys nearly all vinifera vinestocks imported into the southern United States.

[2] Like Black Spanish, Blanc du Bois is gaining favor as a planting in grape growing areas in the southern United States, where Pierce’s Disease easily wipes out entire vineyards of the vinifera vine stock that is normally preferred for winemaking.

The overwhelming majority of Blanc du Bois is grown on its own rootstock, although the vine does not perform well in calcareous soils, such as those found in much of Texas.

In these cases, some vineyards graft the Blanc du Bois vine onto rootstock that is resistant to Pierce’s Disease and also tolerant of a soil pH greater than 7.0.

[1] Because of the vine’s specific disease resistances, Blanc du Bois is found primarily in the following wine growing zones[3] There are currently more acres of Blanc Du Bois grown in Texas than in any other state and it now ranks as the top produced white wine grapes in Texas.