🍇 St. Laurent
A red grape, an offspring of Pinot Noir; 687 ha in Austria (2020), also grown in Czechia and Slovakia; one parent of Zweigelt.
Saint Laurent (Sankt Laurent, St. Laurent) is a red wine grape that the VIVC catalogue considers French by origin, although today it is most widespread in Central Europe. According to DNA markers, one of its parents is Pinot Noir. In Austria the variety covered 687 ha in 2020.
The other parent of Saint Laurent is unknown, so it is not a clone of Pinot Noir but its offspring. VIVC lists 41 synonyms: in Czech it is Svatovavřinecké, in Croatian Lovrijenac, in Hungarian Szent Lőrinc. The largest areas are in Czechia, 1,482 ha (2008), and Slovakia, 1,408 ha (2009). In Germany the area grew from 49 ha in 1992 to 669 ha in 2008.
According to the Statistik Austria vineyard census of 2020, Saint Laurent grew on 687 ha in Austria, slightly less than in 2015 (724 ha). It is split almost evenly between Burgenland (336 ha) and Lower Austria (330 ha).
The variety has become a parent of several new red grapes. The best known is Zweigelt, bred by crossing Saint Laurent with Blaufränkisch; among its other offspring VIVC names André, Rondo, Dunaj, Fratava and Sevar.
Why it matters to you. On labels the grape appears as St. Laurent, Sankt Laurent or Svatovavřinecké; it is the same vine. A grape named on an EU wine means at least 85 % of that grape. Red wines are served at 15–18 °C and stored lying down, in the dark, at 10–16 °C.
Facts
| Country | France |
|---|---|
| Region | Austria (687 ha, 2020), Czech Republic, Slovakia |
| Main use | wine grape |
How it connects to Wine
🍇 St. Laurent → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Traditions
- 🌍 Central Europe
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ French wine
- Where it grows
- 📍 Thermenregion, 📍 Burgenland, 📍 Moravia, 📍 Velké Pavlovice
- Main grape in
- 📍 Thermenregion, 📍 Burgenland, 📍 Moravia, 📜 Skalica Ruby
- Related to
- 🍷 Ried Stiftsbreite St. Laurent Ausstich, 🍷 Ried Stiftsbreite St. Laurent Reserve, 🍷 Gobelsburg Cistercien Rosé, 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Cuvée Bertrand Reserve, 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Rosé, 🍷 Johanneshof Reinisch Ried Frauenfeld St. Laurent, 🍷 Johanneshof Reinisch Ried Holzspur St. Laurent, 🍷 Johanneshof Reinisch Tattendorf St. Laurent, 🍷 Johanneshof Reinisch Ried Steingarten St. Laurent Pinot Noir, 🍷 Johanneshof Reinisch Alter Rebstock, 🍷 Pöckl St. Laurent Classique
- Offspring
- 🍇 Rondo, 🍇 LE-K/1, 🍇 Sevar, 🍇 Zweigelt, 🍇 Dunaj, 🍇 Fratava, 🍇 Geisenheim 6494, 🍇 André
- Parents
- 🍇 Pinot Noir
Frequently asked questions
Where does Saint Laurent come from?
From France according to VIVC, although today it is grown mainly in Austria, Czechia and Slovakia.
Is it true that Saint Laurent is a clone of Pinot Noir?
No. According to DNA, Pinot Noir is only one of its parents; the other is unknown.
How much Saint Laurent is there in Austria?
687 ha in 2020: 336 ha in Burgenland and 330 ha in Lower Austria (Statistik Austria).
What is Saint Laurent called in Czechia?
Svatovavřinecké; in all, VIVC lists 41 synonyms of the variety.
Which grapes descend from Saint Laurent?
Zweigelt (Saint Laurent × Blaufränkisch), André, Rondo, Dunaj, Fratava and others.
What to read next
- 🗺️ French wine — The country's wine and winemaking: regions, grapes and appellations.
- 📍 Moravia — The larger of Czechia's two wine regions: 16,241 ha, about 96% of the country's vineyards (2025).
- 🍷 Gobelsburg Cistercien Rosé — Gobelsburg Cistercien Rosé: rosé wine by Schloss Gobelsburg from Langenlois; Niederösterreich.
- 🍇 André — Dark-skinned wine grape from Czechia; 2 synonyms in VIVC.
- 📍 Thermenregion — A wine district of Lower Austria south of Vienna: 2,074 ha, white Zierfandler and Rotgipfler.
Similar
🍇 Zweigelt · 🍇 Muscat Ottonel · 🍇 Blauer Portugieser · 🍇 Kadarka · 🍇 Hárslevelű · 🍇 Furmint
Sources
- Statistik Austria: Weingartengrunderhebung 2020 — Rebsorten nach Bundesländern (ha)
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Saint Laurent
- VIVC: area statistics SAINT LAURENT
- VIVC: pedigree search — offspring of SAINT LAURENT
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33 (grape varieties on labels)
- Simons C.T. Left out in the cold: Serving wines chilled. Temperature, 2019