Graisse is a white
French wine
French wine is produced all throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world, along with Italian, Spanish, and Amer ...
grape variety
This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Viti ...
that is grown primarily in the
Armagnac
Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditionally ...
region of western
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan area ...
where the grape is used for both
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...
production and
distillation
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heat ...
. The pulp of the grape is characterized by its high
viscosity
The viscosity of a fluid is a measure of its resistance to deformation at a given rate. For liquids, it corresponds to the informal concept of "thickness": for example, syrup has a higher viscosity than water.
Viscosity quantifies the inte ...
levels, which can create some difficulties in
winemaking
Winemaking or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over millennia. The science of wine and ...
, to produce a wine that expert
Jancis Robinson describes as being of average to low quality. In recent years, plantings of Graisse have been steadily declining.
[J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Guide to Wine Grapes'' pg 80 Oxford University Press 1996 ]
Synonyms
Various synonyms have been used to describe Graisse and its wines including Blanquette, Blanquette grise, Cargo saoumo, Cargo saumo, Chalosse, Cholosse, Clairette égreneuse, Cotiblanc, Cotilblanc, Gras, Gras blanc, Grecho, Gros blanc, Jalosse, Mendic, Plant de graisse, Plant de Grecho, Plant de Mun, Président, Ramassaou blanc, Ramassou blanc, Taloche, Tizourine bou-aferara blanc and Tizourine bou-afrara.
References
{{reflist
White wine grape varieties