The red grape variety originates from France. There are well over 100 synonyms attesting to the vine's great age and wide distribution. The most important, grouped alphabetically by country, are Cinsault (Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia); Black Prince, Blue Imperial, West's White Prolific (Australia); Senso (Bulgaria); Boudalès, Bourdalès, Bourdelas, Cing-Saou, Cinq Saou, Cinqsaut, Cinq-saou, Cinquien, Cinsault, Cinsaut Couche, Espagnen, Espagnin Noir, Espagnol, Grappu de la Dordogne, Marroquin, Madiran, Madiran du Portugal, Marrouquin, Milhau, Milhaud du Pradel, Moustardier Noir, Oeillade Noire, Picardan Noir, Piquepoul d'Uzès, Plant d'Arles, Plant de Broqui, Pousse de Chèvre, Prunelat, Prunellas, Salerne, Sinsâou (France); Mavro Kara, Mavro Kara Melkii (Greece), Grecaù, Grecu Masculinu, Ottavianello, Ottaviano, Ottavianuccia, Ottavinello, Passerille, Passerille Senso, Primitivo di Bernalda, Sinsón, Sinseur, Uva Spina (Italy); Black Malvoisie (California); Bastardillo Serrano, Samsó, Samsón, Sinsó(Spain); Hermitage (South Africa); Bourdales Kék, Malaga, Malaga Kék (Hungary).
It must not be confused with the varieties Bouchalès (Picardan Noir), Brun Argenté, Chichaud, Mazuelo (Carignan), Oeillade No ire, Piquepoul Noir, Plant Droit or Prunelard, despite the synonyms or morphological similarities that seem to indicate this. According to DNA analyses carried out in 2009, there is a parent-offspring relationship with the Aspiran Noir variety, as well as the Grecaù variety mentioned in Sicily as early as 1696, and the Ottavianello variety grown in Puglia. Cinsaut was a crossing partner of the new varieties Castel 19637, Cinsaut Bouschet, Perlaut and Pinotage, as well as some Seibel vines. A somatic mutation is the red-berried Cinsaut Gris; probably also the two varieties Cinsaut Blanc (Frontignon Blanc) and Cinsaut Seedless mutant descendants.
According to genetic facts, the more precise origin is probably southern France. It was first mentioned as Marrouquin in 1600 by the French agronomist OIivier de Serres (1539-1619) in his work "Botanicum Monspeliense". The medium-maturing, high-yielding vine is susceptible to the wood diseases esca and eutypiosis, but resistant to drought and dryness. When young, it yields fruity, soft and aromatic red wines with storage potential, which are also ideal for the production of fresh rosé wines. It is also used as table grape.
In the 1950s and 1960s, wines made from Cinsaut from Algeria (which was still part of France at the time) were added in large quantities to Burgundy wines. Today, in France, it is mainly found in Languedoc-Roussillon (especially Aude, Gard and Hérault) and Provence(Var). It is also a component in Châteauneuf-du-Pape. In France, the total area under cultivation is 15,930 hectares, with a strong downward trend. Other countries are Greece (4 ha), Italy (4 ha), Portugal (12 ha), Spain (10 ha), Tunisia (626 ha) and Turkey (430 ha). Overseas, it is Algeria (7,550 ha), Argentina (1 ha), Australia (10 ha), Chile (848 ha), China, Lebanon, Morocco (3,239 ha), South Africa (1,767 ha) and the USA (45 ha) mainly in California and also Washington. The variety occupied a total of 22,926 hectares of vineyards in 2016, with an extremely downward trend. This puts it in 37th place in the global grape variety ranking (Kym Anderson).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
