The white grape variety originates from the border region France/Spain. Synonyms grouped alphabetically by country are Clare Riesling, Sales Blanc, South African Riesling (Australia); Basque, Cheri Cerratia, Cougnet, Crouchen Blanc, Cruchen Blanc, Cruchenton Blanc, Grand Blanc, Messange Blanc, Messanges Blanc, Navarre Blanc, Sable Blanc, Trouchet Blanc (France); Crochenta, Cruchenta, Zurizerratia (Spain); Cape Riesling, Groenblaarsteen, Kaapse Riesling, Paarl Riesling, Riesling Vert, S. A. Riesling (South Africa). The parentage is unknown. It was a crossing partner of the new crosses Nouvelle and Therona Riesling as well as a parent of the presumably natural crosses Cabernet Goudable and Claverie Coulard.
The vine probably originated in the French Pyrenees near the Spanish border, where it was mentioned in 1783. The onomatopoeic name derives from the crisp character of the berry skins. The medium-ripening vine is very susceptible to powdery mildew. It produces neutral white wines with ageing potential. It is also used as table grape. In France, the vine is almost extinct and occupies only less than one hectare in Aquitaine (south-west France).
The variety arrived in Australia around 1850 under the name Sales Blanc, where it was widely cultivated in the Barossa Valley and Clare Valley. For a long time it was confused with the Sémillon variety. Since this was mistakenly confused with the Riesling and also designated as such, it was given the name Clare Riesling after the Clare Valley. It was not until 1976 that the true identity was clarified by the French ampelographer Paul Truel (1924-2014). In the Clare Valley, it has since been replaced by the real Riesling. Today, it is mainly cultivated in the areas of Murray Darling and Swanhill (New South Wales), as well as Riverland (South Australia), where it occupies 47 hectares of vineyards.
Crouchen came to South Africa under the name Groenblaarsteen (Greenleaf Steen) as early as 1656 and was known here as Cape Riesling, Paarl Riesling and South African Riesling. The true Riesling followed shortly afterwards in 1664. It was not until the 1950s that Christiaan Johannes Orffer (1926-2008) established that various varieties were cultivated under the name Riesling in South Africa. Since the 2009 vintage, the name Riesling may no longer be used for Crouchen domestically. The variety is mainly cultivated in the Breedekloof and Paarl areas on a total of 271 hectares. In 2016, a total of 319 hectares of vines were designated (Kym Anderson).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012.
Images: Pl@ntGrape, INRA/IFV/Montpellier SupAgro 2009-2011
