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 ...

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and

Chile Chile, officially the Republic of Chile, is a country in the western part of South America. It is the southernmost country in the world, and the closest to Antarctica, occupying a long and narrow strip of land between the Andes to the east a ...

. Chasselas is mostly

vinified The process of fermentation in winemaking turns grape juice into an alcoholic beverage. During fermentation, yeasts transform sugars present in the juice into ethanol and carbon dioxide (as a by-product). In winemaking, the temperature and spe ...

to be a full, dry and fruity white wine. It is also suitable as a

table grape Table grapes are grapes intended for consumption while fresh, as opposed to grapes grown for wine production, juice production, or for drying into raisins. ''Vitis vinifera'' table grapes can be in the form of either seeded or non-seeded varieta ...

, grown widely for this purpose in

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and

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 Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. While the Alsatian versions have primarily been considered simpler wines, it was included among the vari ...

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.Viti ...

.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'', p. 129.

Oxford University Press Oxford University Press (OUP) is the university press of the University of Oxford. It is the largest university press in the world, and its printing history dates back to the 1480s. Having been officially granted the legal right to print books ...

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 Valais ( , , ; frp, Valês; german: Wallis ), more formally the Canton of Valais,; german: Kanton Wallis; in other official Swiss languages outside Valais: it, (Canton) Vallese ; rm, (Chantun) Vallais. is one of the cantons of Switzerland, 26 ...

. It is considered an ideal pairing for

raclette Raclette (, ) is a Swiss dish, also popular in the other Alpine countries, based on heating cheese and scraping off the melted part, then typically served with boiled potatoes. Raclette cheese is historically a dish originating from the canton of ...

fondue Fondue (, , ) is a Swiss melted cheese dish served in a communal pot ( ''caquelon'' or fondue pot) over a portable stove () heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. It was promote ...

. 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
. In Germany, with , it is almost exclusively grown in the wine region of

Baden Baden (; ) is a historical territory in South Germany, in earlier times on both sides of the Upper Rhine but since the Napoleonic Wars only East of the Rhine. History The margraves of Baden originated from the House of Zähringen. Baden is ...

under the name ''Gutedel''.German Wine Institute: German Wine Statistics 2007-2008
. 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 Chapoutier, or ''Maison M. Chapoutier'', is a winery and négociant business situated in Tain-l'Hermitage in the Rhône region in France. Chapoutier produces wine from appellations across the Rhône region, but it is typically their top Hermitage ...

has stated that he is looking for land for a vineyard in

England England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Wales to its west and Scotland to its north. The Irish Sea lies northwest and the Celtic Sea to the southwest. It is separated from continental Europe b ...

, which would be planted with Chasselas. He said that he believed Chasselas would suit the English climate and

terroir (, ; from ''terre'', "land") is a French term used to describe the environmental factors that affect a crop's phenotype, including unique environment contexts, farming practices and a crop's specific growth habitat. Collectively, these conte ...

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