Gouais Blanc
Encyclopedia
Gouais Blanc or Weißer Heunisch is a white grape variety that is seldom grown today but is important as the ancestor of many traditional French and German grape varieties. The name Gouais derives from the old French adjective ‘gou’, a term of derision befitting its traditional status as the grape of the peasants. Likewise, the German name Weißer Henuisch labels it as one the lesser, Hunnic grapes.
in Medieval times. At this time, it was used to produce simple, acidic white wines, and were primarily grown in less good plots that were not suited for the much more highly regarded Pinot Noir
or Pinot Gris
. Gouais Blanc was thus the grape of the peasantry rather than of the nobility.
Its history before Medieval times is not known with any certainty, but is the subject of much conjecture, in similarity to many other grape varieties with a long history. Gouais Blanc has been proposed as a candidate for the grape given to the Gauls
by Marcus Aurelius Probus (Roman Emperor 276–282), who was from Pannonia
and who overturned Domitian
's decree banning grape growing north of the Alps. Another hypothesis claims it originates specifically in Croatia
(or Pannonia), but the Vitis International Variety Catalogue
currently lists it as originating from Austria
, which should probably be interpreted as "likely to originate somewhere in Central Europe".
Gouais Blanc was also grown in the Jura
, but the Phylloxera epidemic wiped out the variety in France, and it now survives only in the INRA
collection at Domaine de Vassal, Montpellier
.
DNA fingerprinting at the University of California, Davis
in the late 1990s identified Gouais Blanc as the ancestor of a large number of classical European grape varieties. This came as something of a surprise, given the old division into Frankish and Hunnic grape varieties
used in the Germanic world, as it meant that the prototype simple "Hunnic" grape was in fact an ancestor to most of the noble "Frankish" grapes.
and were widely propagated. This unique combination of events means that many grape varieties today have Gouais Blanc as a parent, the most famous of which is Chardonnay
.
DNA fingerprinting research at the University of California, Davis has also identified Gouais Blanc as an ancestor of the Aligoté
, Aubin Vert
, Auxerrois
, Bachet noir
, Beaunoir
, Franc Noir de la-Haute-Saône, Gamay Blanc Gloriod
, Gamay noir, Melon, Knipperlé
, Peurion
, Roublot
, and Sacy
grape varieties. Dameron
is another result of the same cross, whereas a cross with Pinot fin teinturier
produced Romorantin
.
It produced Petit Meslier
and Aubin
when pollinated by Traminer/Savagnin, and Riesling
and Elbling
when pollinated by a cross of a wild grape with Traminer.
When pollinated by Chenin Blanc
it produced Colombard
, Balzac blanc and Meslier Saint François, and with Bastardo (Tressot) it produced Genouillet.
and in recent years, a few historically interested wine producers have started to plant small amounts of Gouais Blanc.
History
Gouais is known to have been widely planted in central and northeastern FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
in Medieval times. At this time, it was used to produce simple, acidic white wines, and were primarily grown in less good plots that were not suited for the much more highly regarded Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
or Pinot Gris
Pinot Gris
Pinot gris is a white wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot noir grape, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name but the grape can have a brownish pink to black and even white appearance...
. Gouais Blanc was thus the grape of the peasantry rather than of the nobility.
Its history before Medieval times is not known with any certainty, but is the subject of much conjecture, in similarity to many other grape varieties with a long history. Gouais Blanc has been proposed as a candidate for the grape given to the Gauls
Gauls
The Gauls were a Celtic people living in Gaul, the region roughly corresponding to what is now France, Belgium, Switzerland and Northern Italy, from the Iron Age through the Roman period. They mostly spoke the Continental Celtic language called Gaulish....
by Marcus Aurelius Probus (Roman Emperor 276–282), who was from Pannonia
Pannonia
Pannonia was an ancient province of the Roman Empire bounded north and east by the Danube, coterminous westward with Noricum and upper Italy, and southward with Dalmatia and upper Moesia....
and who overturned Domitian
Domitian
Domitian was Roman Emperor from 81 to 96. Domitian was the third and last emperor of the Flavian dynasty.Domitian's youth and early career were largely spent in the shadow of his brother Titus, who gained military renown during the First Jewish-Roman War...
's decree banning grape growing north of the Alps. Another hypothesis claims it originates specifically in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
(or Pannonia), but the Vitis International Variety Catalogue
Vitis International Variety Catalogue
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus Vitis. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in Siebeldingen, Germany, and contains information from grapevine collections existing in...
currently lists it as originating from Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
, which should probably be interpreted as "likely to originate somewhere in Central Europe".
Gouais Blanc was also grown in the Jura
Jura wine
Jura wine, is French wine produced in the Jura département. Located between Burgundy and Switzerland, this cool climate wine region produces wines with some similarity to Burgundy and Swiss wine. Jura wines are distinctive and unusual wines, the most famous being vin jaune, which is made by a...
, but the Phylloxera epidemic wiped out the variety in France, and it now survives only in the INRA
Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique
The Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique is a French public research institute dedicated to scientific studies surrounding the problems of agriculture...
collection at Domaine de Vassal, Montpellier
Montpellier
-Neighbourhoods:Since 2001, Montpellier has been divided into seven official neighbourhoods, themselves divided into sub-neighbourhoods. Each of them possesses a neighbourhood council....
.
DNA fingerprinting at the University of California, Davis
University of California, Davis
The University of California, Davis is a public teaching and research university established in 1905 and located in Davis, California, USA. Spanning over , the campus is the largest within the University of California system and third largest by enrollment...
in the late 1990s identified Gouais Blanc as the ancestor of a large number of classical European grape varieties. This came as something of a surprise, given the old division into Frankish and Hunnic grape varieties
Frankish and Hunnic grape varieties
A division of grape varieties into Frankish and Hunnic grape varieties was practiced in German-speaking countries in the Middle ages and separated varieties considered to be better from those considered to be lesser...
used in the Germanic world, as it meant that the prototype simple "Hunnic" grape was in fact an ancestor to most of the noble "Frankish" grapes.
Crosses
Having been widely grown in proximity to Pinot, the two varieties had many opportunities to cross. And having such distant origins, those crosses showed hybrid vigourHeterosis
Heterosis, or hybrid vigor, or outbreeding enhancement, is the improved or increased function of any biological quality in a hybrid offspring. The adjective derived from heterosis is heterotic....
and were widely propagated. This unique combination of events means that many grape varieties today have Gouais Blanc as a parent, the most famous of which is Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
.
DNA fingerprinting research at the University of California, Davis has also identified Gouais Blanc as an ancestor of the Aligoté
Aligoté
Aligoté is a white grape used to make dry white wines in the Burgundy region of France, and which also has significant plantings in much of Eastern Europe including Romania, Russia, Ukraine, Moldova and Bulgaria. With , it was the 22nd most planted vine variety in the world in 2004...
, Aubin Vert
Aubin Vert
Aubin Vert is a white wine grape cultivar grown in the Lorraine region of France. Small vineyards are found in Bulligny, Bruley, Pagney and Rozérieulles. Within the last century, it has also been grown in Thiaucourt-Regniéville, d'Euvezin and Magny...
, Auxerrois
Auxerrois Blanc
Auxerrois Blanc or Auxerrois Blanc de Laquenexy is a white wine grape that is important in Alsace, and is also grown in Germany and Luxembourg. It is a full sibling of Chardonnay that is often blended with the similar Pinot Blanc.-History:...
, Bachet noir
Bachet noir
Bachet Noir is a traditional French variety of red wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. A little is still grown in the Aube, where it is used to add colour and body to Gamay wines.-History:...
, Beaunoir
Beaunoir
Beaunoir is a traditional French variety of red wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. The 'beautiful black' grape produces a thin wine and not much is grown these days.-History:...
, Franc Noir de la-Haute-Saône, Gamay Blanc Gloriod
Gamay Blanc Gloriod
Gamay Blanc Gloriod is an obscure French variety of white wine grape. Very little of it is grown commercially.It is named after Émile Gloriod, who discovered it as a seedling; it was originally thought to be a white version of the Gamay grape. "Gamay Blanc" was already used as an alternative name...
, Gamay noir, Melon, Knipperlé
Knipperlé
Knipperlé is a traditional French variety of white wine grape from Alsace. It's not listed for use in AOC wine, but is a minor component of blends for local drinking, in some ways an Alsatian equivalent of its sibling Aligoté in Burgundy.-History:...
, Peurion
Peurion
Peurion is a traditional French variety of white wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite popular, not much is still grown in France these days.-History:...
, Roublot
Roublot
Roublot is a traditional French variety of white wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. It was once quite widely grown near Auxerre.-History:In the early 19th century, Roublot made up a third of the area in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux in the west of Chablis...
, and Sacy
Sacy (grape)
Sacy is a white wine grape grown primarily in the central and northeastern France within the Yonne and Allier départments.Sacy ripens early, and produces light-coloured wines low in acid and alcohol.-Parentage:...
grape varieties. Dameron
Dameron
Dameron is a traditional French variety of red wine grape that is a sibling of Gamay. Its wines are somewhat weightier than Gamay, but it is disappearing from its traditional areas in northern France...
is another result of the same cross, whereas a cross with Pinot fin teinturier
Teinturier
Teinturier, a French language term meaning to dye or stain, is a wine term applied to grapes whose flesh and juice is red in colour due to anthocyanin pigments accumulating within the pulp of the grape berry itself. In most cases, anthocyanin pigments are confined to the outer skin tissue only, and...
produced Romorantin
Romorantin
Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the Cour-Cheverny AOC. It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent of Chablis....
.
It produced Petit Meslier
Petit Meslier
Petit Meslier is a rare white wine grape that is a minor component of some Champagne blends. It is valued for its ability to retain acidity even in hot vintages...
and Aubin
Aubin blanc
Aubin Blanc is a white wine grape from the upper reaches of the Moselle valley in eastern France.-History:DNA fingerprinting has shown that Aubin is the result of a cross between Gouais Blanc and Savagnin. Gouais Blanc was widely grown by the French peasantry in the Medieval age, and it is a...
when pollinated by Traminer/Savagnin, and Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
and Elbling
Elbling
Elbling is a variety of white grape which today is primarily grown in the upstream parts of the Mosel region in Germany and in Luxembourg, the vineyards of which are also located along Moselle River...
when pollinated by a cross of a wild grape with Traminer.
When pollinated by Chenin Blanc
Chenin Blanc
Chenin blanc , is a white wine grape variety from the Loire valley of France. Its high acidity means it can be used to make everything from sparkling wines to well-balanced dessert wines, although it can produce very bland, neutral wines if the vine's natural vigor is not controlled...
it produced Colombard
Colombard
Colombard is an early fruiting white variety of wine grape, better known as French Colombard in North America. It is possibly the offspring of Gouais Blanc and Chenin Blanc....
, Balzac blanc and Meslier Saint François, and with Bastardo (Tressot) it produced Genouillet.
Distribution and Wines
As mentioned above, Gouais Blanc until now have survived mostly as a museum curiosity. Since the Middle Ages there have been regular attempts to ban the peasants' grape from the soils of France, which probably says something about its typical winemaking qualities. However, Gouais Blanc has continued to be commercially grown at several vineyards in SwitzerlandSwiss wine
Swiss wine is produced from nearly 15 000 hectares of vineyards, and the wines are mainly produced in the west and in the south of Switzerland, in the cantons of Geneva, Neuchâtel, Ticino, Valais and Vaud...
and in recent years, a few historically interested wine producers have started to plant small amounts of Gouais Blanc.