Gouget noir

Gouget noir is a red French wine grape variety that is grown in the Allier and Cher departments of central France.

[1] Gouget noir became a specialty of the communes of Domérat, Huriel and Montluçon and by the mid-19th century the grape accounted for nearly half of all vineyard plantings in Allier with almost 17,000 hectares (42,008 acres).

[1] Gouget noir is an early ripening variety that tends to produce small clusters of tiny berries.

The vine also tends to bud early but is fairly resistant to springtime frost damage with its most significant viticultural hazard being its susceptibility to botrytis bunch rot.

[1] Today, Gouget noir is still found in the Allier and Cher regions but its numbers are far fewer from its pre-phylloxera plantings or even the 739 ha (1,826 acres) that were growing after World War II.