Chasselas or Chasselas blanc is a wine grape variety grown mainly in
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
,
France,
Germany,
Portugal,
Hungary,
Romania,
New Zealand,
Croatia and
Chile. Chasselas is mostly
vinified to be a full,
dry
Dry or dryness most often refers to:
* Lack of rainfall, which may refer to
** Arid regions
** Drought
* Dry or dry area, relating to legal prohibition of selling, serving, or imbibing alcoholic beverages
* Dry humor, deadpan
* Dryness (medica ...
and fruity white wine. It is also suitable as a
table grape, grown widely for this purpose in
Turkey and
Hungary.
History
Genetic analyses made in 2009 in a laboratory of the University of Dieppe showed that Chasselas is a grape variety originating in western Switzerland.
[J. F. VOUILLAMOZ et C. ARNOL]
Etude historico-génétique de l’origine du ‘Chasselas’ (PDF)
, Université de Neuchâtel, NCCR Plant Survival, 2009. Its name was first mentioned in the 16th century.
In 1940, Chasselas was
crossed with
Silvaner to produce the white grape variety
Nobling
Nobling is a white German wine grape variety that is a crossing between Silvaner and Chasselas. The variety was created in 1940 at the Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg in Baden-Württemberg by grape breeder Johannes-Friedrich Zimmermann. ...
.
[J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'', p. 129. Oxford University Press 1996 .]
Wine regions
Chasselas is widely grown in Switzerland, where it has several regional synonym names, the main one being ''Fendant'' in the canton of
Valais. It is considered an ideal pairing for
raclette or
fondue. Chasselas is also known as ''Perlan'' in the
Mandement district of Geneva. In 2009, it was Switzerland's second-most planted grape variety at .
[Office fédéral de l’agriculture OFAG: Das Weinjahr 2009 / L'année d'viticole 2009](_blank)
.
In Germany, with , it is almost exclusively grown in the wine region of
Baden under the name ''Gutedel''.
[German Wine Institute: German Wine Statistics 2007-2008](_blank)
.
In France it is mostly grown in the
Loire region, where it is blended with
Sauvignon blanc
is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...
to produce a wine called "Pouilly-sur-Loire". Californian and Australian growers know this variety under the names ''Chasselas Doré'' and ''Golden Chasselas.''
Michel
Chapoutier has stated that he is looking for land for a vineyard in
England, which would be planted with Chasselas. He said that he believed Chasselas would suit the English climate and
terroir very well.
[Adam Lechmere]
Chapoutier looks for English vineland
Decanter.com News, 12 May 2011. Retrieved 27 January 2022.
References
{{Authority control
White wine grape varieties
Table grape varieties