Colombard

Colombard (also known as French Colombard in North America) is a white French winegrape variety that may be the offspring of Chenin blanc and Gouais blanc. This makes the grape the sibling of the ArmagnacMeslier-Saint-François and the nearly extinct Cognac grape Balzac blanc.

In France, it was traditionally grown in the Charentes and Gascony for distilling into Cognac and Armagnac respectively. Today it is still among the permitted white grape varieties in Bordeaux wine, and in Gascony for Vins de PaysCôtes de Gascogne and the white Floc de Gascogne. aperitif drink. The wine is known for its distinctive flavours of Guava.

Old vine grapes are crushed by some northern Californian producers and made into a fruity white wine of interesting character in both dry and sweet versions. This grape is mainly grown in California to provide backbone, due to its natural acidic character, for white "jug wine" blends. Additionally, it is widely grown in South Africa, where it is known as Colombar, and to a lesser extent in Australia and Israel.