Pouilly-Fuissé () is an ''

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 ...

'' (AOC) for

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. ...

in the

Mâconnais The Mâconnais district is located in the south of the Burgundy wine region in France, west of the Saône river. It takes its name from the town of Mâcon. It is best known as a source of good value white wines made from the Chardonnay grape; the ...

subregion of Burgundy in central

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 area ...

, located in the communes of Fuissé, Solutré-Pouilly,

Vergisson Vergisson () is a commune in the Saône-et-Loire department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Wine The vineyards of Vergisson form part of the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' Pouilly-Fuissé. Gallery Vue Ve ...

and Chaintré. Pouilly-Fuissé has Chardonnay as the only grape variety. Pouilly-Fuissé is the best-known part of Mâconnais. The AOC was created on September 11, 1936. It was granted premier cru designation in September 2020. There are currently 22 premier cru climats. The area used to be known simply as "Pouilly,” but when the AOC laws were introduced, it was split into three: Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Loché and Pouilly-Vinzelles.

Style

Pouilly-Fuissé is a dry white

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

made from Chardonnay grapes. It is pale and refreshing, often quite delicate, and often shows a clear

oak An oak is a tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' (; Latin "oak tree") of the beech family, Fagaceae. There are approximately 500 extant species of oaks. The common name "oak" also appears in the names of species in related genera, notably ''L ...

influence. On average these wines sell for much less than the white wines of

Côte de Beaune The Côte de Beaune area is the southern part of the Côte d'Or, the limestone ridge that is home to the great names of Burgundy wine. The Côte de Beaune starts between Nuits-Saint-Georges and Beaune, and extends southwards for about 25 km ...

to the north.

Geography

West of

Mâcon Mâcon (), historically anglicised as Mascon, is a city in east-central France. It is the prefecture of the department of Saône-et-Loire in Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. Mâcon is home to near 34,000 residents, who are referred to in French as ...

the land rises up to form Mont de Pouilly and other limestone hills, covered in the alkaline clay that best suits Chardonnay. The villages of Vergisson, Solutré-Pouilly, Fuissé and Chaintré shelter at their feet.

Production

In 2008, of vineyard area was in production within the Pouilly-Fuissé AOC, and 39,147 hectoliters of wine were produced, corresponding to 5.2 million bottles of wine.

AOC regulations

The AOC regulations only allow Chardonnay to be used. The allowed base yield is 50 hectolitre per hectare and the grapes must reach a maturity of at least 11.0 per cent

potential alcohol Must weight is a measure of the amount of sugar in grape juice (must) and, hence, indicates the amount of alcohol that could be produced if it is all fermented to alcohol, rather than left as residual sugar.

Notable residents

The

négociant A winemaker or vintner is a person engaged in winemaking. They are generally employed by wineries or wine companies, where their work includes: *Cooperating with viticulturist Viticulture (from the Latin word for '' vine'') or winegrowing (wi ...

Georges Duboeuf Georges Duboeuf (14 April 1933 – 4 January 2020) was a French wine merchant, and the founder of Les Vins Georges Duboeuf, one of the largest wine merchants in France. The company is known for its popularization and production of Beaujolais win ...

of the

Beaujolais wine Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which mak ...

region grew up on a small vineyard in the region.

In popular culture

In '' Hogan's Heroes'', Season 2, Episode 10, "A Tiger Hunt in Paris, Part 1," LeBeau recommends Pouilly-Fuisse '41 for lunch, describing it as "not a daring wine, but a safe wine." ''The Facts of Life'', Season 3, Episode 1, "Growing Pains", Blair brings back two bottles of Pouilly-Fuisse. ''

The Andy Griffith Show ''The Andy Griffith Show '' is an American situation comedy television series that aired on CBS from October 3, 1960, to April 1, 1968, with a total of 249 half-hour episodes spanning eight seasons—159 in black and white and 90 in color. The ...

'' includes the wine in the Season 6, Episode 2, called "Andy's Rival"
Andy's Rival
In the Season 5, Episode 6 of ''

The Mary Tyler Moore Show ''The Mary Tyler Moore Show'' (also known simply as ''Mary Tyler Moore'') is an American television sitcom created by James L. Brooks and Allan Burns and starring actress Mary Tyler Moore. The show originally aired on CBS from 1970 to 1977. Mo ...

'' entitled "I Love a Piano", Murray returns to work intoxicated after having had a long lunch with a divorcee. When Lou asks him what he has been imbibing, he replies, "Pouilly-Fuissé." Lou says, "Too bad ..I've been a news man for thirty years. I've sobered up guys who were drunk on everything from Scotch to aftershave lotion. But never once in my life have I had to sober up anyone who was drunk on Pouilly-Fuissé. I don't know what to do. I don't know whether to give him black coffee or cheese!" In the Season 6, Episode 10 of ''

The Jeffersons ''The Jeffersons'' is an American sitcom television series that was broadcast on CBS from January 18, 1975, to July 2, 1985, lasting 11 seasons and a total of 253 episodes. ''The Jeffersons'' is one of the longest-running sitcoms in history, ...

'' entitled “Louise vs. Florence,” Pouilly-Fuissé is prominently referenced by several characters, including Harry Bentley (

Paul Benedict Paul Benedict (September 17, 1938 – December 1, 2008) was an American actor who made numerous appearances in television and films, beginning in 1965. He was known for his roles as The Number Painter on the PBS children's show ''Sesame Street ...

George Jefferson George Jefferson is a fictional character played by Sherman Hemsley on the American television sitcoms ''All in the Family'' (1973–1975, 1978) and its spin-off ''The Jeffersons'' (1975–1985), in which he serves as the program's protagonist. ...

(

Sherman Hemsley Sherman Alexander Hemsley (February 1, 1938 – July 24, 2012) was an American actor. He was known for his roles as George Jefferson on the CBS television series ''All in the Family'' (1973–1975; 1978) and ''The Jeffersons'' (1975–1985), Dea ...

), and Mr. Van Morris (a guest-starring role played b
Fred D. Scott
. In the ''

Frasier ''Frasier'' () is an American television sitcom that was broadcast on NBC for 11 seasons. It premiered on September 16, 1993, and ended on May 13, 2004. The program was created and produced by David Angell, Peter Casey, and David Lee (as Grub ...

'' episode "Three Dates and a Breakup: Part 2," Frasier Crane refers to a 1992 Pouilly-Fuissé as "the nectar of the Gods." In the Season 5, Episode 1 of ''

'' entitled “Frasier’s Imaginary Friend,” Dr. Frasier Crane (

Kelsey Grammer Allen Kelsey Grammer (born February 21, 1955) is an American actor and producer. He gained notoriety and acclaim for his role as psychiatrist Dr. Frasier Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Cheers'' (1984-1993) and its spin-off ''Frasier'' (1993-2004), ...

) briefly mentions Pouilly-Fuissé when he makes a cell-phone call to an

unseen character An unseen character in theatre, comics, film, or television, or silent character in radio or literature, is a character that is mentioned but not directly known to the audience, but who advances the action of the plot in a significant way, and w ...

named Barnard, and says, “chill your finest bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé.” In the Season 6, Episode 18 of ''

'' entitled “Taps at the Montana,” Dr. Niles Crane (

David Hyde Pierce David Hyde Pierce (born April 3, 1959) is an American actor and director of stage, film and television. He starred as psychiatrist Dr. Niles Crane on the NBC sitcom ''Frasier'' from 1993 to 2004, and won four Primetime Emmy Awards and a Scree ...

) briefly mentions Pouilly-Fuissé when he says, “And then to top it all off, the Pouilly-Fuissé we ordered was a grave disappointment.” Jimmy Buffet's song "Landfall" contains a reference: "Oh, I love the smell of fresh snapper fried light; What'd you say, Pouilly-Fuisse could round out the night." The song "Intravino", by Daryl Hall & John Oates from their 1979 album ''

X-Static ''X-Static'' is the eighth studio album by American pop music duo Daryl Hall & John Oates. The album was released in September 1979, by RCA Records. Buddah Records re-released the album with two bonus tracks in 2000. "Wait for Me" reached numb ...

'', has the lyrics: "Six o'clock, gotta have

Beaujolais Beaujolais ( , ) is a French ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wine generally made of the Gamay grape, which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which mak ...

. Eight o'clock, I open up the Pouilly-Fuissé." Ernest Hemingway references Pouilly-Fuisse several times in ''A Moveable Feast''. In a meeting with the poet Ernest Walsh, "at a restaurant that was the best and most expensive in the Boulevard St.-Michel quarter," the two dine on oysters "and a bottle of Pouilly Fuisse..." while discussing their mutual friends James Joyce and Ezra Pound. Pouilly-Fuissé was legendary drinker Andre the Giant's favorite wine. David Rossi mentions a 2008 bottle of Pouilly-Fuisse while talking to Derek Morgan on Criminal Minds Season 10 Episode 12 titled “Anonymous”. In the 1970s film, The Boys in the Band, Michael (Kenneth Nelson) provides a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé to his friend Harold (Leonard Frey) saying "Here's a bottle of Pouilly-Fuissé I bought especially for you kiddo" to which Harold replies, "Pussycat. All is forgiven. You can stay. No, you can stay but not all is forgiven. Cheers."

Other "Pouilly" wines

The wines of Pouilly-Fuissé should not be confused with the Sauvignon blanc-based wines of Pouilly-Fumé and the

Chasselas Chasselas or Chasselas blanc is a wine grape variety grown mainly in Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal, Hungary, Romania, New Zealand, Croatia and Chile. Chasselas is mostly winemaking, vinified to be a full, Dry (wine), dry and fruit ...

-based Pouilly-sur-Loire, both from the area around

Pouilly-sur-Loire Pouilly-sur-Loire (, literally ''Pouilly on Loire'') is a commune in the Nièvre department in central France. Pouilly-sur-Loire is a town noted for the white wine known as Pouilly-Fumé Pouilly-Fumé is an ''appellation d'origine contrôl� ...

in the Loire Valley.

Notes

{{DEFAULTSORT:Pouilly-Fuisse Burgundy (historical region) AOCs