What is "counoise"

Counoise is a dark-skinned wine grape grown primarily in the Rhône valley region of France. Counoise is also grown in California and Washington. Counoise adds a peppery note and good acidity to a blended red wine, but does not have much depth of colour or tannin. There were of Counoise in France in 2000.

Counoise is one of the grapes allowed into the blend of Châteauneuf-du-Pape wine. In 2004 only 0.5% of the appellation's area was planted with Counoise. Some producers who favour the variety use about 5% of it in their blends, and those account for most of the plantings. One such producer is Château de Beaucastel, which is noted for using all the 13 allowed varieties.