Savagnin
Encyclopedia
Savagnin or Savagnin Blanc is a variety of white wine
grape
with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura
region of France
, where it is made into the famous vin jaune
and vin de paille.
. The story starts with the ancient Traminer variety, a green-skinned grape recorded in the Tyrolean village of Tramin from ca. 1000 until the 16th century. (This region now lies in the Italian
province of South Tyrol
). The famous ampelographer
Pierre Galet
thought that Traminer was identical to the green-skinned Savagnin Blanc in the Jura. More recently it has been suggested that Savagnin Blanc acquired slight differences in its leaf shape and geraniol
content as it travelled to the other end of the Alps.
Frankisch in Austria, Heida in Switzerland, Formentin in Hungary and Grumin from Bohemia are all very similar to Savagnin Blanc and probably represent clones of the Traminer family, if not Traminer itself. The Viognier
of the Rhone Valley may be a more distant relative of Savagnin Blanc.
At some point, either Traminer or Savagnin Blanc mutated into a form with pink-skinned berries, called Red Traminer or Savagnin Rose
. Galet believed that a musqué
('muscat-like') mutation in the Red Traminer/Savagnin Rose then led to the extra-aromatic Gewürztraminer
, although in Germany these names are all regarded as synonymous.
With these convoluted genetics happening in the area that has been the front line for a millennium of wars in Europe, it's maybe not surprising that vines have been misnamed. Given that the wine made from 'Gewürztraminer' in Germany can be much less aromatic than that made in Alsace, some of the German vines may well be misidentified Savagnin Rose. The Baden vineyard of Durbach claims its own type of Red Traminer called Durbacher Clevner (not to be confused with "Klevner", an Austrian synonym for Pinot Blanc
). The story goes that in 1780 Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden
brought vines from Chiavenna in Italy, halfway between Tramin and the Jura, which was known to the Germans as Cleven.
The Klevener de Heiligenstein
or Heiligensteiner Klevener found around Heiligenstein in Alsace
may represent an outpost of the Durbach vines. They are often described as a less aromatic form of Gewürztraminer, which sounds just like the Red Traminer!
The varieties Aubin Blanc
and the Champagne grape Petit Meslier
are probably the result of a cross between Gouais Blanc
and Savagnin Blanc.
. In 2007, total French plantations of the variety stood at 472 hectares (1,166.3 acre). It is most famous as the only grape allowed in the vin jaune
s of Château-Chalon
and L'Étoile
, similar to fino
sherry with a covering of flor
but not fortified and without the use of the solera system. Savagnin is blended with Chardonnay to make a conventional dry white wine in L'Étoile and Côtes du Jura, the fortified Macvin du Jura, a sparkling wine called Crémant du Jura
It is also blended into Côtes du Jura vin de paille
, a dessert wine
made from grapes left to dry on straw.
The Gringet
of Savoie has no link with Savagnin Blanc.
in the Valais
is home to some of the highest vineyards in Europe, where Heida is made into table and dessert wines.
grape, only to discover this is not the case.
A visiting French expert raised questions in 2008, and DNA testing confirmed that the grapes are in fact French Savagnin. Almost all wine in Australia labelled as albarino is savagnin.
Auvernat Blanc, Bon Blanc, Forment, Formentin Blanc, Fraentsch, Fromenteau, Gentil Blanc, Gruenedel, Princ Bily, Printsch Grau, Ryvola Bila, Schleitheimer, Servoyen Blanc, Traminer D'Ore, Traminer Weiss. You may be able to add Grumin, Heida and Païen to that list.
It gets even worse when it comes to the red mutant, as Geilweilerhof being Germans see no difference between it and Gewürztraminer - and some of the names look like they belong to the original green-skinned form. Still here they are, with the same caveat as before :
Auvernas Rouge, Blanc Brun, Blanc Court, Bon Blanc, Christkindeltraube, Clevner, Crovena Ruzica, Dreimaenner, Dreimannen, Dreipfennigholz, Drumin, Duret Rouge, Edeltraube, Fermentin Rouge, Fleischweiner, Fourmenteau Rouge, Frencher, Fromente, Fromenteau, Fuszeres, Gentil Rose Aromatique, Gentil-duret Rouge, Gentile Blanc, Gewuerztraminer, Gringet, Gris Rouge, Haiden, Kirmizi Traminer, Klaebinger, Klaevner, Kleinbraun, Kleinwiener, Livora Cervena, Mala Dinka, Marzimmer, Mirisavi Traminac, Nature, Nature Rose, Noble Rose, Nuernberger Rot, Pinat Cervena, Piros Tramini, Plant Paien, Princ Cerveny, Princt Cervena, Ranfoliza, Rotclevner, Rotedel, Roter Nuernberger, Roter Traminer, Rotfranken, Rothklauser, Rothweiner, Rothwiener, Rotklaevler, Rotklaevner, Rotklevner, Rousselet, Rusa, Ruska, Ryvola, Salvagnin, Sauvagnin, Savagnin Jaune, Savagnin Rosa Aromatique, Savagnin Rose, St. Klauser, Termeno Aromatico, Tramin Cerveny, Tramin Korenny, Traminac Crveni, Traminac Diseci, Traminac Mirisavi, Traminer, Traminer Aromatico, Traminer Musque, Traminer Parfume, Traminer Rot, Traminer Rozovyi, Tramini Piros, Trammener. You may be able to add Durbacher Clevner, Heiligensteiner Klevener, Klevener de Heiligenstein and Savagnin Rosa to those names.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
with green-skinned berries. It is mostly 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...
region of France
France
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...
, where it is made into the famous vin jaune
Vin jaune
Vin jaune is a special and characteristic type of white wine made in the Jura wine region in eastern France. It is similar to dry fino Sherry and gets its character from being matured in a barrel under a film of yeast, known as the voile, on the wine's surface...
and vin de paille.
History
The history of Savagnin is complicated and it not helped by its rather unstable genomeGenome
In modern molecular biology and genetics, the genome is the entirety of an organism's hereditary information. It is encoded either in DNA or, for many types of virus, in RNA. The genome includes both the genes and the non-coding sequences of the DNA/RNA....
. The story starts with the ancient Traminer variety, a green-skinned grape recorded in the Tyrolean village of Tramin from ca. 1000 until the 16th century. (This region now lies in the Italian
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
province of South Tyrol
South Tyrol
South Tyrol , also known by its Italian name Alto Adige, is an autonomous province in northern Italy. It is one of the two autonomous provinces that make up the autonomous region of Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol. The province has an area of and a total population of more than 500,000 inhabitants...
). The famous ampelographer
Ampelography
Ampelography 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 the vine leaves and grape berries; more recently the study of vines has been revolutionised by DNA...
Pierre Galet
Pierre Galet
Pierre Galet is a French ampelographer and author who was an influential figure within ampelography in the 20th century and before DNA typing was widely introduced...
thought that Traminer was identical to the green-skinned Savagnin Blanc in the Jura. More recently it has been suggested that Savagnin Blanc acquired slight differences in its leaf shape and geraniol
Geraniol
Geraniol is a monoterpenoid and an alcohol. It is the primary part of rose oil, palmarosa oil, and citronella oil . It also occurs in small quantities in geranium, lemon, and many other essential oils. It appears as a clear to pale-yellow oil that is insoluble in water, but soluble in most common...
content as it travelled to the other end of the Alps.
Frankisch in Austria, Heida in Switzerland, Formentin in Hungary and Grumin from Bohemia are all very similar to Savagnin Blanc and probably represent clones of the Traminer family, if not Traminer itself. The Viognier
Viognier
Viognier is a white wine grape. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu in the Rhone valley.-History:The origin of the Viognier grape is unknown. Viognier is presumed to be an ancient grape, possibly originating in Dalmatia and then brought to Rhône by the Romans. One legend...
of the Rhone Valley may be a more distant relative of Savagnin Blanc.
At some point, either Traminer or Savagnin Blanc mutated into a form with pink-skinned berries, called Red Traminer or Savagnin Rose
Savagnin Rose
Savagnin Rose or Roter Traminer is a variety of wine grape. It has a pink, reddish or brownish red skin colour, but is counted as a "white wine grape", since it does not have the deep purple/blue/black colour of "red wine grapes"....
. Galet believed that a musqué
Musqué
Musqué is a French term applied to certain varieties or clones of grapes used for making wine. The term means both perfumed and Muscat-like, and indicates that the variety or clone is highly aromatic. The term musqué is usually suffixed to the name of certain grape varieties to indicate a clone...
('muscat-like') mutation in the Red Traminer/Savagnin Rose then led to the extra-aromatic Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer
Gewürztraminer is an aromatic wine grape variety that performs best in cooler climates. It is sometimes referred to colloquially as Gewürz, and in French it is written '...
, although in Germany these names are all regarded as synonymous.
With these convoluted genetics happening in the area that has been the front line for a millennium of wars in Europe, it's maybe not surprising that vines have been misnamed. Given that the wine made from 'Gewürztraminer' in Germany can be much less aromatic than that made in Alsace, some of the German vines may well be misidentified Savagnin Rose. The Baden vineyard of Durbach claims its own type of Red Traminer called Durbacher Clevner (not to be confused with "Klevner", an Austrian synonym for Pinot Blanc
Pinot Blanc
Pinot blanc is a white wine grape. It is a point genetic mutation of Pinot noir. Pinot noir is genetically unstable and will occasionally experience a point mutation in which a vine bears all black fruit except for one cane which produced white fruit....
). The story goes that in 1780 Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden
Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden
Charles Frederick, 1st Grand Duke of Baden was Margrave, elector and later Grand Duke of Baden from 1738 until his death.-Biography:...
brought vines from Chiavenna in Italy, halfway between Tramin and the Jura, which was known to the Germans as Cleven.
The Klevener de Heiligenstein
Klevener de Heiligenstein
Klevener de Heiligenstein is a designation used on Alsace wine made from pink-skinned Savagnin Rose grapes, a variety in the Traminer family, but which is less aromatic than Gewürztraminer, which is widely planted in Alsace....
or Heiligensteiner Klevener found around Heiligenstein in Alsace
Alsace wine
Alsace wine or Alsatian wine is produced in the Alsace region in France and is primarily white. These wines, which for historical reasons have a strong Germanic influence, are produced under three different Appellations d'Origine Contrôlées : Alsace AOC for white, rosé and red wines, Alsace Grand...
may represent an outpost of the Durbach vines. They are often described as a less aromatic form of Gewürztraminer, which sounds just like the Red Traminer!
The varieties Aubin Blanc
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...
and the Champagne grape 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...
are probably the result of a cross between Gouais Blanc
Gouais Blanc
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...
and Savagnin Blanc.
France
Savagnin Blanc is mostly grown in the JuraJura 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...
. In 2007, total French plantations of the variety stood at 472 hectares (1,166.3 acre). It is most famous as the only grape allowed in the vin jaune
Vin jaune
Vin jaune is a special and characteristic type of white wine made in the Jura wine region in eastern France. It is similar to dry fino Sherry and gets its character from being matured in a barrel under a film of yeast, known as the voile, on the wine's surface...
s of Château-Chalon
Château-Chalon AOC
Château-Chalon is an Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée for wines made in the Jura wine region of France, around the village of Château-Chalon. Only white wines from the Savagnin grape made in the vin jaune style can be made using this appellation. However, the Château-Chalon wines are not explicitly...
and L'Étoile
L'étoile
L'étoile is an opéra bouffe in three acts by Emmanuel Chabrier with a libretto by Eugène Leterrier and Albert Vanloo.Chabrier met his librettists at the home of a mutual friend, the painter Gaston Hirsh, in 1875...
, similar to fino
Fino
Fino is the driest and palest of the traditional varieties of sherry. They are drunk comparatively young, and unlike the sweeter varieties should be drunk soon after the bottle is opened as exposure to air can cause them to lose their flavour within hours.-Flor:The defining component of Fino...
sherry with a covering of flor
Flor
Flor is a winemaking term referring to a film of yeast on the surface of wine and which is important in the manufacture of certain styles of sherry. The flor is formed naturally under certain winemaking conditions, from indigenous yeasts found in the region of Andalucía in southern Spain...
but not fortified and without the use of the solera system. Savagnin is blended with Chardonnay to make a conventional dry white wine in L'Étoile and Côtes du Jura, the fortified Macvin du Jura, a sparkling wine called Crémant du Jura
It is also blended into Côtes du Jura vin de paille
Straw wine
Straw wine, or raisin wine, is a wine made from grapes that have been dried to concentrate their juice. The result is similar to that of the ice wine process, but suitable for warmer climates. The classic method dries clusters of grapes on mats of straw in the sun, but some regions dry them under...
, a dessert wine
Dessert wine
Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
made from grapes left to dry on straw.
The Gringet
Gringet
Gringet is an autochthonous white wine grape from Haute-Savoie, France that is used as both a blending grape and for varietal wines. It is mainly used in the Ayze AOC sparkling wine production....
of Savoie has no link with Savagnin Blanc.
Germany
As mentioned above, Durbach is home to the best known Red Traminer in Germany, and a lot of their so-called Gewürztraminer may well be mislabelled Red Traminer.See .Switzerland
Not surprisingly the Swiss Alps are home to a Traminer-like grape, called Heida, first recorded in 1586.. The alternative name Païen ('pagan') or Paën possibly hints at an ancient, pre-Christian origin. VisperterminenVisperterminen
Visperterminen is a municipality in the district of Visp in the canton of Valais in Switzerland.-History:Visperterminen is first mentioned in the 11th Century as Termenum. In 1221 it was mentioned as Terminum.-Geography:...
in the Valais
Valais
The Valais is one of the 26 cantons of Switzerland in the southwestern part of the country, around the valley of the Rhône from its headwaters to Lake Geneva, separating the Pennine Alps from the Bernese Alps. The canton is one of the drier parts of Switzerland in its central Rhône valley...
is home to some of the highest vineyards in Europe, where Heida is made into table and dessert wines.
Australia
It has recently been discovered that grape growers and wine makers in Australia have been supplying and selling Savagnin wrongly labelled for over a decade. They thought they were pouring money into the market for the Spanish albarinoAlbariño
Albariño or Alvarinho is a variety of white wine grape grown in Galicia , Monção and Melgaço , where it is used to make varietal white wines.Albariño is actually the Galician name for the grape...
grape, only to discover this is not the case.
A visiting French expert raised questions in 2008, and DNA testing confirmed that the grapes are in fact French Savagnin. Almost all wine in Australia labelled as albarino is savagnin.
Vine and viticulture
Savagnin Blanc is very late ripening, and may be picked as late as December. Like its cousin Gewürztraminer, it is a temperamental grape to grow, with low yields at the end of it.Synonyms
As explained above, genetic instability means that the Traminer/Savagnin group should be regarded as a family of related clones rather than distinct varieties. Thus DNA analysis will probably reveal that the following names are not synonymous, but for the record these are the synonyms currently listed by Geilweilerhof for Savagnin Blanc :Auvernat Blanc, Bon Blanc, Forment, Formentin Blanc, Fraentsch, Fromenteau, Gentil Blanc, Gruenedel, Princ Bily, Printsch Grau, Ryvola Bila, Schleitheimer, Servoyen Blanc, Traminer D'Ore, Traminer Weiss. You may be able to add Grumin, Heida and Païen to that list.
It gets even worse when it comes to the red mutant, as Geilweilerhof being Germans see no difference between it and Gewürztraminer - and some of the names look like they belong to the original green-skinned form. Still here they are, with the same caveat as before :
Auvernas Rouge, Blanc Brun, Blanc Court, Bon Blanc, Christkindeltraube, Clevner, Crovena Ruzica, Dreimaenner, Dreimannen, Dreipfennigholz, Drumin, Duret Rouge, Edeltraube, Fermentin Rouge, Fleischweiner, Fourmenteau Rouge, Frencher, Fromente, Fromenteau, Fuszeres, Gentil Rose Aromatique, Gentil-duret Rouge, Gentile Blanc, Gewuerztraminer, Gringet, Gris Rouge, Haiden, Kirmizi Traminer, Klaebinger, Klaevner, Kleinbraun, Kleinwiener, Livora Cervena, Mala Dinka, Marzimmer, Mirisavi Traminac, Nature, Nature Rose, Noble Rose, Nuernberger Rot, Pinat Cervena, Piros Tramini, Plant Paien, Princ Cerveny, Princt Cervena, Ranfoliza, Rotclevner, Rotedel, Roter Nuernberger, Roter Traminer, Rotfranken, Rothklauser, Rothweiner, Rothwiener, Rotklaevler, Rotklaevner, Rotklevner, Rousselet, Rusa, Ruska, Ryvola, Salvagnin, Sauvagnin, Savagnin Jaune, Savagnin Rosa Aromatique, Savagnin Rose, St. Klauser, Termeno Aromatico, Tramin Cerveny, Tramin Korenny, Traminac Crveni, Traminac Diseci, Traminac Mirisavi, Traminer, Traminer Aromatico, Traminer Musque, Traminer Parfume, Traminer Rot, Traminer Rozovyi, Tramini Piros, Trammener. You may be able to add Durbacher Clevner, Heiligensteiner Klevener, Klevener de Heiligenstein and Savagnin Rosa to those names.
Further reading
- Robinson, Jancis, Vines, Grapes & Wines, Mitchell Beazley, 1986, ISBN 1-85732-999-6