Sacy is a white
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...
grown primarily in the central and northeastern
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
within the
Yonne
Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...
and
Allier
Allier ( , , ; oc, Alèir) is a department in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region that borders Cher to the west, Nièvre to the north, Saône-et-Loire and Loire to the east, Puy-de-Dôme to the south, and Creuse to the south-west. Named after ...
départments.
[ J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 232 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ]
Sacy ripens early, and produces light-coloured wines low in
acid
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 se ...
and alcohol.
Parentage
DNA typing
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 ...
has revealed Sacy to be a cross between
Pinot Pinot may refer to:
*Pinot (grape), a grape family
*Pinot (surname)
*Pinot (restaurant), a restaurant by chef Joachim Splichal
See also
*Pino (disambiguation)
Pino or Piño may refer to:
People
* Danny Pino (born 1974), American actor
* Domeni ...
and
Gouais blanc.
[Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Sacy](_blank)
accessed on June 3, 2009 The DNA typing does not allow the identification of which Pinot variety (such as
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 words for ''pine'' and ''black.'' The word ''pine ...
or
Pinot gris
Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gra ...
) that was the parent. Sacy is one of a large number of French grape varieties sharing this parentage. This finding calls into question the older assumption that the grape variety would have originated in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, although it does not completely rule it out.
History
The grape's origins have been assumed to be Italy, where it is supposed to have been brought to
Burgundy some time in the thirteenth century by monks of the
Reigny Abbey. The vine's high yields and productivity made it a popular plant that soon led to overproduction in neighboring areas. In 1732, the
Parliament
In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. Th ...
s of nearby
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 Switzer ...
and Vermonton banned any additional plantings. The grape continued to be produced in the Yonne department where it was used as a blending component in ''Crémant de Bourgogne'' wines from
Auxerrois and as a blending partner with
Aligoté
Aligoté is a white grape used to make dry white wines, especially in the Burgundy region of France where it was first recorded in the 18th century.winepros.com.au. Since it is tolerant to cold, this variety is also cultivated in Eastern Euro ...
and, to a lesser extent,
Chardonnay.
Regions
In the northern
Rhône
The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...
Valley and in the
Auvergne
Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Au ...
region, the grape is known as Tresallier and is often blended with
Sauvignon blanc to form a tart white wine.
[ J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 120 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ] Today,
Saint-Pourçain in the upper
Loire Valley is the only French appellation to include Sacy in its blend.
[Vins de Saint-Pourçain : l’INAO donne son feu vert à l’AOC](_blank)
press release from INAO on May 29, 2009 In Saint-Pourçain, blending of Sacy and Chardonnay is mandatory, and some Sauvignon blanc may also be included.
Synonyms
Sacy is known under the following synonyms: Aligoté vert, Blanc de Pays, Blanc Moulin, Blanc vert, Fairené, Farié, Farinier blanc, Ferné, Fernet, Ferney, Gros blanc, Menu blanc, Peut blanc, Pivoine, Plant d'Essert, Plant de Sacy, Sassy, Souche, Terzari, Tres Sailier, Tresalier, Tresallier, Tressaillier, Tressalier, Tressallier, Trezaguier, Trezailhi, Trezali, Trezari, and Weissklemmer.
References
{{reflist
White wine grape varieties