Trousseau Gris
Encyclopedia
Trousseau Gris is a French variety of white wine
grape
. It is occasionally found in eastern France and was once widely grown in California under the name Gray Riesling. In cool climates it can produce fresh aromatic wines. It needs gentle handling and careful winemaking to bring out its best.
It is a white mutation of the red Trousseau grape.
,Alsace, Lorraine and sometimes in Champagne.
, but the land for winemaking declined sharply in the 1980s, now while some Trousseau Gris can be found in old field-blended Zinfandel vineyards, the only standing block is ten acers of the Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River
Valley.
In addition to making an aromatic still wine of its own, it has often been blended with Chardonnay
, Viognier
, White Zinfandel
rosé
and even some red wines! It has also been used in dessert wine
s, sparkling wine
s and fortified wine
s.
Trousseau Gris is also used as a synonym for Trousseau Noir.
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...
. It is occasionally found in eastern France and was once widely grown in California under the name Gray Riesling. In cool climates it can produce fresh aromatic wines. It needs gentle handling and careful winemaking to bring out its best.
It is a white mutation of the red Trousseau grape.
France
These days Trousseau Gris is mostly found 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...
,Alsace, Lorraine and sometimes in Champagne.
USA
"Gray Riesling" was once widely planted in CaliforniaCalifornia
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, but the land for winemaking declined sharply in the 1980s, now while some Trousseau Gris can be found in old field-blended Zinfandel vineyards, the only standing block is ten acers of the Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River
Russian River (California)
The Russian River, a southward-flowing river, drains of Sonoma and Mendocino counties in Northern California. With an annual average discharge of approximately , it is the second largest river flowing through the nine county Greater San Francisco Bay Area with a mainstem 110 miles ...
Valley.
In addition to making an aromatic still wine of its own, it has often been blended with 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...
, 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...
, White Zinfandel
White Zinfandel
White Zinfandel, often abbreviated as White Zin, is an off-dry to sweet, pink-colored blush wine. White Zinfandel is made from the Zinfandel wine grape, which would otherwise produce a bold and spicy red wine. As such, it is not a grape variety but a method of processing Zinfandel grapes...
rosé
Rosé
A rosé is a type of wine that has some of the color typical of a red wine, but only enough to turn it pink. The pink color can range from a pale orange to a vivid near-purple, depending on the grapes and wine making techniques.- Production techniques :There are three major ways to produce rosé...
and even some red wines! It has also been used in 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...
s, sparkling wine
Sparkling wine
Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it making it fizzy. The carbon dioxide may result from natural fermentation, either in a bottle, as with the méthode champenoise, in a large tank designed to withstand the pressures involved , or as a result of carbon dioxide...
s and fortified wine
Fortified wine
Fortified wine is wine to which a distilled beverage has been added. Fortified wine is distinguished from spirits made from wine in that spirits are produced by means of distillation, while fortified wine is simply wine that has had a spirit added to it...
s.
Vine and viticulture
As a mutant of a port grape, Trousseau Gris can thrive in hot, dry conditions, producing lots of sweet fruit (As dose any grape in hotter than optimal conditions). The best wines are made when it is grown in much cooler conditions, but only in the coolest parts of the coastal area of California especially The Russian River Valley or in the mountains of the Jura. It is a very meaty grape that doesn’t like to release its juice and historically winemakers mistreated this grape with disastrous consequences but grown and handled properly, usually harvested around 23.5 brix, and gently pressed, Trousseau Gris has a crisp, clean, aromatic - flowery bouquet with flavors of fresh peaches, honeysuckle, pear, melon, delicate spice and tropical fruit.Synonyms
Baratszölö, Chauche Gris, Francia Szürke, Goundoulenc, Gray Riesling, Grey Riesling, Gris de Salces, Gris de Salses, Guindolenc, Guindoulenc, Hamu Szölö, Hamuszölö, Nagyvati, Sals, Sals Cenusiu, Salses Gris, Shome Seryi, Sose Serii, Terret D'AfriqueTrousseau Gris is also used as a synonym for Trousseau Noir.