Grolleau or Grolleau noir is a red French wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Loire Valley of France. The name is derived from the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

word ''grolle'', meaning " crow" and is said to reflect the deep black berries of the Grolleau vine.Oz Clarke & M. Rand ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' p. 113 Webster International Publishers The grape is most commonly made into

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact method. ...

wine, particularly in the

Anjou Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France *County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duke ...

region. Grolleau wines tend to low

alcohol Alcohol most commonly refers to: * Alcohol (chemistry), an organic compound in which a hydroxyl group is bound to a carbon atom * Alcohol (drug), an intoxicant found in alcoholic drinks Alcohol may also refer to: Chemicals * Ethanol, one of sev ...

content and relatively high acidity.J. Robinson ''Vines Grapes & Wines'' p. 199 Mitchell Beazley 1986

History

The first documented plantings of Grolleau occurred in the

Charente Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; oc, Charanta ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, south western France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, an ...

region in the early 19th century. Ampelographers believe that the grape is likely related to the ancient variety Gouais blanc.VITIS Ampelographical Dictionary '
Grolleau
'' (in French) Accessed: 24 September 2009 The Grolleau vine's greatest popularity occurred during the mid- to late 20th century with the widespread marketing of ''Rosé d'Anjou'' wine, of which Grolleau was the principal component. Often blended with Gamay, Grolleau-based Rosé d'Anjou was a sweet wine. Towards the turn of the 21st century, ''Rosé d'Anjou'' (and by extension Grolleau), started to fall out of favor in lieu of the

Cabernet Franc Cabernet Franc is one of the major black grape varieties worldwide. It is principally grown for blending with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot in the Bordeaux style, but can also be vinified alone, as in the Loire's Chinon. In addition to being us ...

and

Cabernet Sauvignon Cabernet Sauvignon () is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebanon' ...

–dominated rosé

Cabernet d'Anjou Anjou wine is produced in the Loire Valley wine region of France near the city of Angers. The wines of region are often grouped together with the wines of nearby Saumur as "Anjou-Saumur". Along with the wines produced further east in Touraine, An ...

. By 2000 there were only 5,500 acres (2,200 hectares) of Grolleau planted in the Middle Loire.J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition p. 334 Oxford University Press 2006 The decline has been attributed, in part, to Grolleau's reputation for poor quality as noted by wine experts such as

Jancis Robinson Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, ComMA, MW (born 22 April 1950) is a British wine critic, journalist and wine writer. She currently writes a weekly column for the ''Financial Times'', and writes for her website JancisRobinson.com, updated daily. She ...

J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition p. 182 Abbeville Press 2003 and Tom Stevenson.T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pp. 202-204 Dorling Kindersley 2005 Wine critic

Robert M. Parker, Jr. Robert McDowell Parker Jr. (born July 23, 1947) is a retired U.S. wine critic. His wine ratings on a 100-point scale and his newsletter ''The Wine Advocate'' are influential in American wine buying and are therefore a major factor in setting th ...

, has taken a dim view of Grolleau's potential, recommending in his wine buying guide that growers in the Loire Valley should rip up all Grolleau vines and replace them with grape varieties that have more potential for quality wine production such as Gamay and Cabernet Franc. Alice Feiring '
New Years Day Grolleau
"'' ''Veritas in Vino'', 2 January 2005

Wine regions

The Grolleau vine is found mostly in the Middle Loire region where it is a permitted grape variety for the rosé '' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC)s of Anjou, Touraine and

Saumur AOC Saumur is a French wine region located in the Loire Valley. The region is noted for sparkling wines produced by the traditional method The traditional method is the process used in the Champagne region of France to produce Champagne. It is ...

. The grape is limited to just rosé wines and is not permitted by AOC regulations into the red blends of these regions. It is also permitted as an ingredient in the sparkling wines of the

Cremant de Loire Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While the phrase commonly refers to champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that term for products exclusively produced in the Champagne reg ...

Anjou AOC Anjou may refer to: Geography and titles France * County of Anjou, a historical county in France and predecessor of the Duchy of Anjou **Count of Anjou, title of nobility *Duchy of Anjou, a historical duchy and later a province of France **Duk ...

and

Viticulture

Grolleau is a high yielding grapevine that ripens reliably and relatively early for the cool climate Loire Valley-often right after Gamay. The vine produces medium-sized clusters clinging to the vine via its long, slender

pedicel Pedicle or pedicel may refer to: Human anatomy *Pedicle of vertebral arch, the segment between the transverse process and the vertebral body, and is often used as a radiographic marker and entry point in vertebroplasty and kyphoplasty procedures ...

s. The grapes are thin skinned with few

phenolic compounds In organic chemistry, phenols, sometimes called phenolics, are a class of chemical compounds consisting of one or more hydroxyl groups (— O H) bonded directly to an aromatic hydrocarbon group. The simplest is phenol, . Phenolic compounds are c ...

, but after '' veraison'' they produce color ranging from gray to bluish/black depending on the

clone Clone or Clones or Cloning or Cloned or The Clone may refer to: Places * Clones, County Fermanagh * Clones, County Monaghan, a town in Ireland Biology * Clone (B-cell), a lymphocyte clone, the massive presence of which may indicate a pathologi ...

. There are currently five clones of the Grolleau vine authorized for viticulture in France. The vine tends to bud early which renders it susceptible to damage from spring

frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor in an above-freezing atmosphere coming in contact with a solid surface whose temperature is below freezing, and resulting in a phase change from water vapor (a gas) ...

s. Its long branches make its susceptible to wind damage, requiring that it be planted near hillside shelter. Grolleau is sensitive to several

grape diseases 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'' *'' Am ...

including

excoriose Phomopsis cane and leaf spot occurs wherever grapes are grown. Phomopsis cane and leaf spot is more severe in grape-growing regions characterized by a humid temperate climate through the growing season. Crop losses up to 30% have been reported to ...

and stem rot.

Wines

Grolleau produces light bodied, fairly neutral wines with noticeably high acidity. It is often produced in off-dry to medium sweet style, leaving some

sugars in the wine Sugars in wine are at the heart of what makes winemaking possible. During the process of fermentation, sugars from wine grapes are broken down and converted by yeast into alcohol (ethanol) and carbon dioxide. Grapes accumulate sugars as they grow ...

to balance with the acidity.

Grolleau gris

Grolleau gris is the pink-skinned mutation of Grolleau noir planted primarily in the Loire Valley. It is used mainly for the white wines of the '' Vin de Pays du Jardin de la France''.J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition p. 112 Abbeville Press 2003

Synonyms

Grolleau is also known under the synonyms Bourdalès, Franc noir, Gamay de Châtillon (in

Savennières Savennières () is a commune in the Maine-et-Loire department in western France. It lies near the river Loire south west of Angers and is best known for its production of highly rated white wine. With production predominantly centred on the Ch ...

), Gamay-Groslot, Gloire de Tours, Grolleau de Cinq-Mars, Grolleau de Touraine, Grolleau de Tours, Grolleau noir, Grolo Chernyi, Grolot noir, Groslot, Groslot de Cinq-Mars, Groslot de Valère, Groslot de Vallères, Moinard, Moinard Grolleau, Neri, Noir de Saumur, Pineau de Saumur, Plant Boisnard, Plant Mini, and Rosé d'Anjou.Grolleau noir
, Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 24 November 2010 Grolleau gris is also known under the synonyms Grolleau, Groslot de la Thibaudière, and Groslot gris.GrolleaugGris
Vitis International Variety Catalogue, accessed 24 November 2010

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Grolleau (Grape) Red wine grape varieties