[3] Pinot Meunier can be identified by ampelographers by its indented leaves that appear downy white, like flour has been dusted liberally on the underside, and lightly on the upper side, of the leaf.

The grape has been favored by vine growers in northern France due to its ability to bud and ripen more reliably than Pinot noir.

The vine's tendency to bud later in the growing season and ripen earlier makes it less susceptible to developing coulure which can greatly reduce a prospective crop.

[3] It is therefore most commonly used for Champagnes that are intended to be consumed young, when the soft, plushy fruit of the Pinot Meunier is at its peak.

A notable exception is the Champagne house of Krug which makes liberal use of Pinot Meunier in its long-lived prestige cuvees.

[3] These wines most often fall into the vin gris style are characterized by their pale pink color and distinctive smokey notes.

[5] Here it is used to make a local speciality known as Schillerwein which is characterized by its light pink color, smokey noted and slightly higher acidity than wines made from Spätburgunder (Pinot noir).

[3] In California, American sparkling wine producers wishing to emulate the Champagne method began planting Pinot Meunier in the 1980s.

In the Grampians region of Victoria, Pinot Meunier was known at one time as Miller's Burgundy and used to make still red varietal wine.

In the late 20th century plantings were starting to decline until a revival of Champagne-style sparkling wine took hold in the 2000s which sparked renewed interest in Pinot Meunier.