Pierre Gallet

Born on January 28, 1921, and died on December 30, 2019, Pierre Galet was a French ampelographer and author best known for his lifelong study of grape varieties. He taught at the École nationale supérieure agronomique in Montpellier and became one of the most influential figures in modern vine identification.

Starting in the 1950s, he developed a systematic way to recognize grapevine varieties by closely studying leaves, shoots, berries, and other visible traits. That careful, practical approach made his work especially important in the years before DNA analysis was widely used, and it helped shape grape research far beyond France.

He also wrote major reference works on grape varieties and viticulture that earned lasting respect in the wine world. Even today, he is remembered as a foundational authority whose research helped preserve knowledge about thousands of vines and the history behind them.