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 America ...
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 has been historically grown in the
Franche-Comté
Franche-Comté (, ; ; Frainc-Comtou: ''Fraintche-Comtè''; frp, Franche-Comtât; also german: Freigrafschaft; es, Franco Condado; all ) is a cultural and historical region of eastern France. It is composed of the modern departments of Doubs, ...
of eastern France but is now close to being extinct. Though its exact relationship has not yet been determined by
DNA analysis
Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...
,
ampelographers
Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of the ...
believe that the grape variety is closely related to the
Hunnic grape
A division of grape varieties into Frankish and Hunnic grape varieties was practiced in German-speaking countries in the Middle Ages and separated varieties considered to be better from those considered to be lesser. Frankish (''fränkisch'') grap ...
Gouais blanc
Gouais blanc () or Weißer Heunisch () is a white grape variety that is seldom grown today but is important as the ancestor of many traditional French and German grape varieties. The name ''Gouais'' derives from the old French adjective ‘ ...
which is notable for being the mother vine to several grape varieties including
Chardonnay
Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern French wine, France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from English wine, Englan ...
and
Gamay
Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long ago as the 15th centu ...
. There also might be a relationship between Gueuche noir and the
Jura wine
Jura may refer to:
Places
*Jura, Scotland, island of the Inner Hebrides off Great Britain
*Jūra, river in Lithuania
Mountain ranges
* Jura Mountains, on the French–Swiss–German border
*Franconian Jura, south-central Germany
* Swabian Jura, ...
grape
Enfariné noir
Enfariné noir (or Gouais noir) is a red French wine grape variety that is grown predominantly in the Jura wine region of eastern France. Despite being known under the synonym ''Gouais noir'' in the Aisne, Aube, Marne, Meuse and Seine-et-Marne d ...
.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 330-331 & 451-452 Allen Lane 2012
History
Records indicate that Gueuche noir has been growing in the Franche-Comté at least the 18th century. Under the synonym ''Foirard noir'', the grape may have been one of the varieties listed on a February 3, 1731 parliamentary decree from
Besançon
Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerl ...
in the
Doubs
Doubs (, ; ; frp, Dubs) is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. Named after the river Doubs, it had a population of 543,974 in 2019.Foirard blanc,
Valet noir
A valet or varlet is a male servant who serves as personal attendant to his employer. In the Middle Ages and Ancien Régime, valet de chambre was a role for junior courtiers and specialists such as artists in a royal court, but the term "valet ...
cereal
A cereal is any Poaceae, grass cultivated for the edible components of its grain (botanically, a type of fruit called a caryopsis), composed of the endosperm, Cereal germ, germ, and bran. Cereal Grain, grain crops are grown in greater quantit ...
crops.
The exact origins of Gueuche noir are not yet known but early DNA analysis suggest a strong relationship between the grape and the genetically prolific Gouais blanc vine which is the mother and grandparent to several ''
Vitis vinifera
''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are curre ...
'' varieties. In the 20th century, ampelographers such as
Pierre Galet
Pierre Galet (28 January 1921 – 30 December 2019) was a French ampelographer and author who was an influential figure within ampelography in the 20th century and before DNA typing was widely introduced. Beginning in the 1950s, Pierre Galet introd ...
and
Jean Guicherd
Jean may refer to:
People
* Jean (female given name)
* Jean (male given name)
* Jean (surname)
Fictional characters
* Jean Grey, a Marvel Comics character
* Jean Valjean, fictional character in novel ''Les Misérables'' and its adaptations
* Jean ...
have speculated that Gueuche noir may have some relationship to the Jura variety Enfariné noir.
Viticulture
Gueuche noir is a mid to late-ripening grape variety that can be very fertile and high yielding. The grape's thin skins and small, compact bunches are susceptible to a number of
viticultural hazards
This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.).
Bacterial diseases
Fungal diseases
Miscellaneous diseases and disorders
Nematodes, parasitic
Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases
See also
*''Ampeloglypter ater''
*''Ampe ...
including fungal disease like
downy
Downy, also known as Lenor in Europe, Russia and Japan, is a brand of fabric softener produced by Procter & Gamble that was introduced in 1960.
Lenor is a brand name of fabric softener and dryer sheets, also produced by P&G, sold in Europe, Russi ...
and
powdery mildew
Powdery mildew is a fungal disease that affects a wide range of plants. Powdery mildew diseases are caused by many different species of ascomycete fungi in the order Erysiphales. Powdery mildew is one of the easier plant diseases to identify, as ...
as well as
botrytis bunch rot
''Botrytis cinerea'' is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as "botrytis bunch rot"; in horticulture, it is usually called "grey mould" or ...
.
Wines regions
While once widely planted in the Franche-Comté, today the grape is nearly extinct and is currently not listed in France's official registry of grape varieties permitted for use in ''
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée
An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical boun ...
'' (AOC) wine production. In the commune of
Liesle
Liesle () is a commune in the Doubs department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in eastern France.
Population
See also
* Communes of the Doubs department
The following is a list of the 571 communes of the Doubs department of France.
...
in the Doubs department,
Domaine des Cavarodes
An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which would historically generate income for its owner.
British context
In the UK, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, and woods that s ...
has been rehabilitating an old vineyard that includes
old vine
Old or OLD may refer to:
Places
*Old, Baranya, Hungary
*Old, Northamptonshire, England
*Old Street station, a railway and tube station in London (station code OLD)
*OLD, IATA code for Old Town Municipal Airport and Seaplane Base, Old Town, Mai ...
s of Gueuche noir that are between the ages of 50–100 years. These vines are
field blend
Viticulture (from the Latin word for ''vine'') or winegrowing (wine growing) is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ran ...
ed with several other grape varieties including Gamay, Enfariné noir,
Pinot noir
Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...
Poulsard
Poulsard (also Ploussard) is a red French wine grape variety from the Jura wine region. The name Ploussard is used mainly around the town of Pupillin but can appear on wine labels throughout Jura as an authorized synonyms. While technically a ...
,
Trousseau
Trousseau may refer to:
*A dowry
*The wardrobe of a bride, including the wedding dress or similar clothing
*A hope chest, glory box or its contents
*Trousseau (grape), a wine grape also known as Bastardo
** Trousseau Gris, a white mutation of the ...
,
Argant
Argant is an ancient variety of red wine grape. It originated in Spain and may have been taken to eastern France by the Romans. It was briefly popular, but little of it remains today. It used to be common in southwestern Germany and in Austria un ...
,
Blauer Portugieser
Blauer Portugieser is a red Austrian, Slovenian wine, Croatian wine and German wine grapeJ. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 542 Oxford University Press 2006 found primarily in the Rheinhessen, Pfalz and wine re ...
and Mézy. The grapes are harvested together and used to produce a red blend under the ''
Vin de Pays
''Vin de pays'' (, "country wine") was a French wine classification that was above the ''vin de table'' classification, but below the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) classification and below the former ''vin délimité de qualité s ...
de Franche-Comté'' designation.
Another Jura wine producer, Domaine Ganevat in Rotalier, has also replanted a small vineyard with new Gueuche noir vines that they use in the blend for their early-drinking nouveau wine.
Styles
According to ampelographer Pierre Galet, Gueuche noir tends to have difficulties ripening in the Franche-Comté with
varietal
A varietal wine is a wine made primarily from a single named grape variety, and which typically displays the name of that variety on the wine label.The American Heritage Dictionary of the English Language, Fourth Edition, 2000.winepros.com.au. ...
examples of the grape often being very
acidic
In computer science, ACID ( atomicity, consistency, isolation, durability) is a set of properties of database transactions intended to guarantee data validity despite errors, power failures, and other mishaps. In the context of databases, a sequ ...
and "hard" tasting.
Synonyms
Over the years Gueuche noir has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Espagnon, Foirard, Foirard noir (in
Poligny, Jura
Poligny () is a Communes of France, commune in the Jura (department), Jura Departments of France, department in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France.
The town stands at the foot of the first plateau of the Jura region, with limestone cliff ...
Salins-les-Bains
Salins-les-Bains (), commonly referred to simply as Salins, is a commune in the Jura department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in Eastern France. It is located on the departmental border with Doubs, 34.8 km (21.6 mi) to the south-southwes ...
), Plant de Saint-Remy and Plant de Treffort (in the
Ain
Ain (, ; frp, En) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region in Eastern France. Named after the Ain river, it is bordered by the Saône and Rhône rivers. Ain is located on the country's eastern edge, on the Swiss border, where it ...
department).
Vitis International Variety Catalogue
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung Gei ...