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Camaraou noir is a red
French wine French wine is produced throughout all of France in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France is one of the largest wine producers in the world. French wine traces its history to th ...
grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...
that was historically grown in South West France but is now more widely planted in the
Spanish wine Spanish wine ( or ) includes red wine, red, white wine, white, and sparkling wine, sparkling wines produced throughout the country. Located on the Iberian Peninsula, Spain has over planted in wine grapes, making it the most widely planted wine- ...
region of Galicia where it is known as Espadeiro. However, despite its Spanish synonym Camaraou noir has no relationship to the
Portuguese wine Portuguese wine was mostly introduced by the Romans (wine), Romans and other ancient Mediterranean peoples who traded with local coastal populations, mainly in the South. In pre-Roman Gallaecia-Lusitania times, the native peoples only drank beer ...
grape
Espadeiro Espadeiro is a red Portuguese wine grape (wine), grape planted primarily in the Minho VR, Minho region for making Vinho Verde. It is also grown across the border, in Galicia (wine), Galicia (Spain (wine), Spain) where it is used to make body (w ...
that is used to make red
Vinho Verde Vinho Verde (; , nonliterally 'young wine') refers to Portuguese wine that originated in the historic Minho Province in the far north of the country. The modern-day 'Vinho Verde' region, originally designated in 1908, includes the old Minho Pro ...
. The grape may have some relation to the Jurançon and
Béarn Béarn (; ; or ''Biarn''; 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 Southwestern France. Along with the three Northern Basque Country, ...
wine grape Camaralet de Lasseube which is also known as ''Camaraou blanc'' but
DNA analysis 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 shown that the two varieties are distinct and not
color mutation The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the ''Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native t ...
s of one or the other.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 179-180, Allen Lane 2012


History

Ampelographers Ampelography ( ἄμπελος, "vine" + γράφος, "writing") is the field of botany concerned with the identification and classification of grapevines, ''Vitis'' spp. Traditionally this has been done by comparing the shape and colour of th ...
believe that the name ''Camaraou'' derives from the Béarnese word ''camarau'' which may have, in turn, be derived itself from the Gascon word ''cama'' that means "leg, trunk" and could be a reference to
viticultural Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
practice of growing grapevines up trees as
trellising A trellis (French: ''treillage'') is an architectural structure, usually made from an open framework or lattice of interwoven or intersecting pieces of wood, bamboo or metal that is normally made to support and display climbing plants, especiall ...
. Another possibility is that the name has some connection to the commune of Camalès located in the
Hautes-Pyrénées Hautes-Pyrénées (; Gascon/ Occitan: ''Nauts Pirenèus / Hauts Pirenèus'' awts piɾeˈnɛʊs ; alts piɾiˈneʊs ) is a department in the region of Occitania, southwestern France. The department is bordered by Pyrénées-Atlantiques to t ...
department of southwestern France. A late 18th century document shows that a ''Camarau'' grape was growing in the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon language, Gascon Occitan language, Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; ) is a Departments of France, department located in the Regions of France, region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine in the southwest corner of metropolitan ...
department,
French Basque Country The French Basque Country (; ; ), or Northern Basque Country (, or , ), is a region lying on the west of the French department of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Since 1 January 2017, it constitutes the Basque Municipal Community (; ) presided ...
and in the
País Vasco The Basque Country or Basque Autonomous Community (), also officially called Euskadi (), is an autonomous community in northern Spain. It includes the Basque provinces of Araba, Bizkaia, and Gipuzkoa. It surrounds two enclaves called Treviñ ...
region of northern Spain, however the description of this grapes seems to indicate that it was more likely the white Camaraou blanc (Camaralet de Lasseube) grape. The first mention that was definitively of Camaraou noir was in Viala & Vermorel catalogue of grape varieties produced from 1901 to 1910 by the French ampelographers
Pierre Viala Pierre Viala (24 September 1859 in Lavérune – 11 February 1936) was a French scientist. In 1901–1910 he and Victor Vermorel published '' Ampélographie. Traité général de viticulture'', a seven-volume ampelography of 3,200 pages de ...
and Victor Vermorel.


Viticulture

Camaraou noir is a late-ripening variety that can be very vigorous and high yielding if not kept in check by winter
pruning Pruning is the selective removal of certain parts of a plant, such as branches, buds, or roots. It is practiced in horticulture (especially fruit tree pruning), arboriculture, and silviculture. The practice entails the targeted removal of di ...
or green harvesting. The vine tends to produce small berries but as part of very large, compact clusters that can be susceptible to various
viticultural hazards 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'' *''Ampe ...
like
mildew Mildew is a form of fungus. It is distinguished from its closely related counterpart, mold, largely by its colour: molds appear in shades of black, blue, red, and green, whereas mildew is white. It appears as a thin, superficial growth consisti ...
. Traditionally Camaraou noir is trained up tree trunks, an ancient practice that dates back to Roman winemaking days.


Wine regions

While Camaraou noir is still a permitted variety in the ''
Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée In France, the ''appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (, ; abbr. AOC ) is a label that identifies an agricultural product whose stages of production and processing are carried out in a defined geographical area – the ''terroir'' – and using ...
'' (AOC) wines of Jurançon and Béarn, the vine is very rarely planted there. Today most of the world's Camaraou noir vines can be found in the northwestern Spanish wine region of Galicia where the grape is a permitted grape variety in the ''
Denominación de Origen In Spain and Latin America, the (; )In other languages of Spain: * Catalan: (). * (). * (). is part of a regulatory geographical indication system used primarily for foodstuffs such as cheeses, condiments, honey, and meats, among others. ...
'' (DO) wines of
Rías Baixas The Rías Baixas ( Galician for "Lower Rias") are a series of four estuarine inlets located on the southwestern coast of Galicia, Spain. They are the Ría de Muros e Noia, the Ría de Arousa, the Ría de Pontevedra, and the Ría de Vigo.Me ...
. Here the grape is known as ''Espadeiro'' and ''Caíño Redondo'' with a long history of being grown in the
Pontevedra Pontevedra (, ) is a city in the autonomous community of Galicia (Spain), Galicia, in northwestern Spain. It is the capital of both the ''Pontevedra (comarca), Comarca'' and Province of Pontevedra, and the capital of the Rías Baixas. It is als ...
and Ourense provinces. In 2008, there were 137
hectare The hectare (; SI symbol: ha) is a non-SI metric unit of area equal to a square with 100-metre sides (1 hm2), that is, square metres (), and is primarily used in the measurement of land. There are 100 hectares in one square kilometre. ...
s (339 acres) of Camaraou noir growing in Galicia where it was mostly blended with Mencía and Caíño tinto.


Relationship to other grapes

Due to similarities in synonyms, Camaraou noir is often confused for the Portuguese wine grape Espadeiro but DNA analysis in 2003 confirmed that the two varieties are separate and that most of the Espadeiro grown in Galicia, as well as another variety known as Caiño Redondo, were in fact Camaraou noir. DNA profiling has also clarified the relationship between Camaraou noir and Camaralet de Lasseube (also known as ''Camaraou blanc'') showing the two varieties to be related but distinct and not color mutations. Both grapes appear to also related to the Jurançon grapes Ahumat, Arrouya noir and Penouille.


Synonyms

Over the years Camaraou noir has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Caiño Redondo, Camaralet noir, Camaran, Camaras, Camarau, Camaraue rouge, Gros noir, Moustardet and Sparse Menue.
Vitis International Variety Catalogue The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung G ...
(VIVC)
Camaraou noir
'' Accessed: April 20th, 2013


References

{{Reflist Red wine grape varieties French wine Spanish wine