Melon de Bourgogne or Melon is a variety of white

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

grown primarily in the Loire Valley region of

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 ar ...

. It is also grown in North America. It is best known through its use in the

white wine White wine is a wine that is fermented without skin contact. The colour can be straw-yellow, yellow-green, or yellow-gold. It is produced by the alcoholic fermentation of the non-coloured pulp of grapes, which may have a skin of any colour. Whi ...

Muscadet Muscadet ( , , ) is a French white wine. It is made at the western end of the Loire Valley, near the city of Nantes in the Pays de la Loire region. It is made from the Melon de Bourgogne grape, often referred to simply as ''melon''. While mos ...

. In the U.S., Federal law prevents "Muscadet" from being used for American-produced wine; only the full name of the grape, or the shortened "Melon" can be used.Federal Register Vol. 61 No. 5
from the

Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau, statutorily named the Tax and Trade Bureau and frequently shortened to TTB, is a bureau of the United States Department of the Treasury, which regulates and collects taxes on trade and imports of alcoh ...

History

As its name suggests, the grape originated in

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

and was grown there until its destruction was ordered in the early 18th century. In the vineyards around

Nantes Nantes (, , ; Gallo: or ; ) is a city in Loire-Atlantique on the Loire, from the Atlantic coast. The city is the sixth largest in France, with a population of 314,138 in Nantes proper and a metropolitan area of nearly 1 million inhabit ...

and the western Loire, however, the harsh winter of 1709 destroyed so many vines that a new variety was needed, and the Melon grape was introduced. Since then it has been used solely in the production of the light dry white wine

, which is made entirely from the Melon grape. The grape is so associated with its

appellation 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 ...

that the grape itself is often known as Muscadet. DNA analysis has revealed Melon de Bourgogne to be a cross between

Pinot blanc Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produces ...

and

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 ‘ ...

North America

As of 2007, the grape is grown in

Oregon Oregon () is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the Western United States. The Columbia River delineates much of Oregon's northern boundary with Washington, while the Snake River delineates much of its eastern boundary with Idah ...

. where it is known simply as Melon. The grape has been introduced into Washington by Perennial Vintners on

Bainbridge Island Bainbridge Island is a city and island in Kitsap County, Washington. It is located in Puget Sound. The population was 23,025 at the 2010 census and an estimated 25,298 in 2019, making Bainbridge Island the second largest city in Kitsap County ...

, six miles across Puget Sound from Seattle. This grape was brought to America in 1939, and was propagated incorrectly as Pinot Blanc in the early 1980s. For more on this error, see also "Melon de Bourgogne - History" at MelonDeBourgogne.com.Mike Lempriere '
Melon de Bourgogne - History
'' MelonDeBourgogne.com

Synonyms

Melon de Bourgogne is also known under the synonyms Auxerrois Gros, Biaune, Blanc de Nantes, Bourgogne blanche, Bourgogne verde, Bourgogne verte, Bourguignon blanc, Clozier, Feher Nagyburgundi, Feuille Ronde, Gamay blanc, Gamay Blanc à Feuilles Rondes, Gamay Blanc Feuilles Rondes, Game Kruglolistnyi, Gros Auxerrois, Gros blanc, Grosse Saint Marie, Lyonnais, Lyonnaise blanche, Malin blanc, Mele, Melon, Meurlon, Mourlon, Muscadet, Perry, Petit Bourgogne, Petit Muscadet, Petite Biaune, Petoin, Petouin, Picarneau, Plant de Lons-Le-Saulnie, Roussette Basse, Später Weisser Burgunder, and Weisser Burgunder.Melon

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 G ...

, accessed 2010-12-03

References

External links

Wine Doctor on the Pays Nantais
A synopsis of the Muscadet region
MelondeBourgogne.com
focused on Melon cultivation in the USA {{DEFAULTSORT:Melon De Bourgogne White wine grape varieties