Courbu is the name of three different, but related
varieties of
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 ...
s primarily found in
South West France. All are ''
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 cur ...
'' grapes. The name Courbu, without suffix, can refer to both Petit Courbu and Courbu blanc, and not all sources differ between the two.
Petit Courbu
Petit Courbu is a white wine grape from
Gascony
Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...
with a long history in the region. It adds body and contributes aromas of citrus and honey to the wines. It is found in
Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh AOC and other appellations of the region.
It is known under the synonyms Courbu and Courbu Petit.
Courbu blanc
Courbu blanc is found primarily in the
Basque areas, such as
Irouléguy AOC.
It is similar to Petit Courbu, but has darker young leaves.
It is known under the synonyms Bordeleza Zuria,
Chacoli Zuria, Cougnet, Courbeau, Courbi blanc, Courbies, Courbis, Courbu, Courbu Gros, Courbut, Courbut blanc, Courtoisie, Hondarrabi Zuri, Hondarribi Zuri, Ondaria Zuria and Vieux Pacherenc.
Courbu noir
Courbu noir is a speciality of
Béarn
The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three B ...
, but is now almost extinct.
It is known under the synonyms Courbu rouge and Dolceolo.
Other grapes
Courbu rouge, which can refer to Courbu noir, is also a synonym of
Manseng noir.
Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Manseng noir
, accessed on June 26, 2008
References
{{Reflist
White wine grape varieties