Trousseau or Trousseau Noir, also known as Bastardo and Merenzao, is an old variety of red wine

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 ...

originating in eastern France. It is grown in small amounts in many parts of Western Europe; the largest plantations are today found in Portugal, where most famously it is used in

port wine Port wine (also known as vinho do Porto, , or simply port) is a Portuguese wine, Portuguese fortified wine produced in the Douro, Douro Valley of Norte, Portugal, northern Portugal. It is typically a sweetness of wine, sweet red wine, often ...

. It makes deep cherry red wines with high alcohol and high, sour candy acidity, and flavours of red berry fruits, often complemented - depending on production - by a jerky nose and an organic, mossy minerality.

History and pedigree

Trousseau originated in eastern France where it was once widely cultivated, and DNA profiling has indicated that the variety has a parent-offspring relationship with

Savagnin Savagnin or Savagnin blanc (not to be confused with Sauvignon blanc) is a variety of white wine grape with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura region of France, where it is made into Savagnin wine or the famous vin jaune and vi ...

, and that it is a sibling to Chenin blanc and

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 ...

. DNA profiling has likewise shown that Trousseau has been cultivated on the Iberian Peninsula for at least 200 years under several different names, including Bastardo, but it is unknown how it came to be introduced there.

Trousseau gris ''Trousseau Gris'' is a French grape variety made into white wine. It is occasionally found in eastern France and was once widely grown in California under the name ''Gray Riesling''. In cool climates it can produce fresh aromatic wines. It ne ...

is a white

mutation In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, m ...

of Trousseau Noir, occasionally found in Jura and once common in California under the name 'Gray Riesling'. Genouillet is the result of a cross between

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 ‘ ...

(Heunisch) and Bastardo. In 1938

Harold Olmo Harold Olmo (July 31, 1909 – June 30, 2006) was an American viticulturist and professor at the University of California, Davis where he created many new grape varieties known today as Olmo grapes. In the 1950s, he helped to establish Calif ...

used Trousseau to pollinate the ''

Vitis rupestris ''Vitis rupestris'' is a species of grape native to the United States that is known by many common names including July, Coon, sand, sugar, beach, bush, currant, ingar, rock, and mountain grape. It is used for breeding several French-American ...

'' hybrid Alicante Ganzin to produce the Royalty variety. Bastardo was crossed with the Georgian variety Saperavi to produce the Bastardo Magarachskii variety used in the

Crimea Crimea, crh, Къырым, Qırım, grc, Κιμμερία / Ταυρική, translit=Kimmería / Taurikḗ ( ) is a peninsula in Ukraine, on the northern coast of the Black Sea, that has been occupied by Russia since 2014. It has a p ...

Distribution and Wines

A little is grown in Argentina and in several regions of Spain, including the Canary Islands.

Australia

There are a small number of producers of Trousseau in Australia with plantings in Tasmania,

Margaret River The Margaret River is a river in southwest Western Australia. In a small catchment, it is the eponym of the town and tourist region of Margaret River. The river arises from a catchment of just 40 square kilometres in the Whicher Range. ...

in Western Australia
Amato Vino
release a small quantity each year in the Jura style) and Barossa Valley, South Australia. A small amount is also grown in eastern Australia under the name Gros Cabernet.

France

Trousseau is one of five grape varieties allowed in 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, ...

appellations, but only covers 5% of the Jura vineyards since it requires more sun than other Jura varieties to ripe. It is often used to stiffen blends with the pale Poulsard, which is easier to cultivate. In 2009, there was a total of of Trousseau in France.

Portugal

It is part of the blend for

and also an important variety for red wines in the Dão. A total of of Trousseau, mostly under the name Bastardo, is cultivated in the vineyards of Portugal. It is also grown in very small quantities in Madeira, and a small number of vintage wines labelled Bastardo were made.

Spain

In Spain Trousseau is grown under the names of Merenzao, Bastardo, Bastardo Negro, María Ordoña, Maturana Tinta, Tintilla, and Verdejo Negro. It is an authorised variety in the Galician DOPS of Ribiera Sacra and

Valdeorras Valdeorras is a comarca in the Galician Province of Ourense. The overall population of this local region is 25,500 (2019). Municipalities * O Barco de Valdeorras, capital of the comarca * O Bolo * Carballeda de Valdeorras * Larouco * Petín ...

DOPs in Galicia. It has also been included in Rioja DOCa under the name of Maturana Tinta, but it is listed as a separate variety to Trousseau / Merenzao even though they are genetically indistinct.

United States

As in Portugal, it is used to make fortified wines in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

. Additionally, a select set of winemakers are experimenting with making table wines with the grape.

Vine and Viticulture

It needs hot, dry conditions to do well. The name Trousseau (from Old French ''trusse'', meaning "a bundle") is possibly a reference to the shape of the bunch, it looks 'packed up'.

Synonyms

Trousseau is also known under the synonyms Abrunhal, Bastardinha, Bastardinho, Bastardo, Bastardo Do Castello, Bastardo Dos Frados, Bolonio, Capbreton Rouge, Carnaz, Chauche Noir, Cruchenton Rouge, Donzelino De Castille, Estaladiña, Graciosa, Gris De Salces, Gros Cabernet, Maria, Maria Adona, Maria Adorna, Maria Ardona, Maria Ordona, Maturana Tinta, Maturana Tinto, Maturano, Merenzano, Merenzao, Pardinho, Pecho, Pinot Gris De Rio Negro, Roibal, Sémillon Rouge, Tresseau, Triffault, Trousse, Trousseau, Trousseau Gris, Troussot, Trusiaux, Trusseau, Trussiau, Tintilla and Verdejo Tinto. In the literature, it is often confused with

Tressot Tressot or Tressot noir is a variety of dark-skinned wine grape. Tressot has historically been grown in Burgundy but it is now almost extinct. Some small plantations still remain in the Chablis district of Burgundy. The grape has been identifi ...

.Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Tressot noir
accessed on December 15, 2009

Notes and references

External links

VIVC BibliographyWine Bastardo
{{Wine by country Red wine grape varieties