Durif

[dyoor-IF; DUR-if] A red-wine grape grown in France's rhône region in the late nineteenth century and up to the middle of the twentieth century. Long-viewed as a rather common and minor variety, Durif is seldom found in French vineyards today. In the late 1990s, DNA analysis indicated that Durif was in fact a cross between syrah and a variety called Peloursin. A vast majority of the variety called petite sirah in California is actually Durif. Durif is also known as Pinot de Romans and Pinot de l'Ermitage, although it's not a member of the pinot noir family.