wein.plus
Attention
You are using an old browser that may not function as expected.
For a better, safer browsing experience, please upgrade your browser.

Log in Become a Member

Gouais Blanc

The white grape variety probably originates from France. Around 180 synonyms attest to the vine's great age and wide distribution throughout Europe. The most important ones, grouped alphabetically by country, are Bauernweinbeer, Bettschisser, Bordenauer, Borzenauer, Branestraube, Braune, Braune Traube, Burgegger, Burger, Dickweiße, Dickwiss, Frankenthaler, Grobes, Grobes Saures, Grobwein, Grobweißer, Hensch, Heunisch, Heinisch, Heinsch, Hensch, Hentschler, Heunscher, Heunschler, Hinschen, Hintsch, Hunnentraube, Hunsch, Hünsch, Hunschrebe, Huntsch, Hynsch, Hyntsch, Kleinberger, Langstieliger Champagne, Laxiertraube, Mehlweiß, Quadler, Scheißtraube, Thalburger, Thalburger Grünling, Weißer Zapfner, Weißgrobe, Weißstock, Wippacher (Germany and/or Austria); Blanc de Serres, Bon Blanc, Bouillan, Bouillaud, Bouilleaud, Enfariné Blanc, Foirard, Gauche Blanc, Goi, Goix, Gôt, Gouche, Gouche Blanche, Gouest Sauge, Gouet Blanc, Gouette, Gouget Blanc, Goys, Gros Blanc, Gueuche Blanc, Lisoera, Lombard Blanc, Moreau Blanc, Mouillet, Petit Gouge, Plant de Séchex, Plant Madame, Président, Provereau Blanc, Verdet, Verdin Blanc (France); Blanció, Liseiret, Preveiral (Italy); Belina, Belina Drobna, Krapinska Belina, Pikanina Bijela (Croatia); Branco Valente, Gigante Branco (Portugal); Gouais Jaune, Gwäss (Switzerland); Hajnos (Hungary).

Gouais Blanc / Weißer Heunisch - Weingarten

Varieties - Heunisch/Gouais Blanc

Despite seemingly suggestive synonyms or morphological similarities, it must not be confused with the varieties Orléans (Hartheunisch) or Ranfol. The numerous grape varieties with the name part "Heunisch" are not all related to each other. Most of them no longer have any significance and are only in vineyards for historical reasons (e.g. Geilweilerhof and Domaine de Vassal). The variety Gouais Blanc (France) is genetically identical to Weißer Heunisch (Germany), although the development of the two varieties has been different.

Many of the synonyms were partly used "crosswise" for several Heunisch varieties. The German name Heunisch dates back to the early Middle Ages and was allegedly first mentioned in the 11th century with "hunisce druben". It associates with the Huns and that it was supposedly brought to Europe by them. However, this hypothesis is difficult to prove. For many centuries, the terms "Heunisch" (for "coarse") and "Fränkisch" (for "fine") were the only wine or quality designations and did not refer to a specific variety. A reliable mention was made in 1546 in the famous "Kreütter Buch" by Hieronymus Bock (1498-1554: "Die großen feiste (dicke) Hynische Drauben, welche umb (wegen) ihrer schnelle würckung willen, von etlichen scheiss Drauben genandt werden". The varieties of the Heunisch group:

  • White Heunisch (Gouais Blanc, Gouais Jaune, Gouais Long, Gouais Rond)
  • Blue Heunisch: cross Feridac x unknown partner
  • Tricolour He unish: colour mutation of White Heunish
  • Yellow He unish: probably a variety of White Heunish
  • Coarse He unish: probably a variety of White Heunish
  • Green Heunisch: synonym for Elbling
  • Kernel-less He unisch: somatic mutation of White Heunisch
  • Red Heunisch 1 (Gouais Gris): Ancestry unknown
  • Red Heunisch 2: crossbreed White Heunisch x unknown partner
  • Red-striped He unish: colour mutation of White Heunish
  • Black He unish (Gouais Noir): White Heunish x Sweet Black

Gouais Blanc - Dreifarbiger, Gelber, Roter und Schwarzer Heunisch

There are many hypotheses about the origin of the French name. The most likely assumes a naming commune, with the following being possible: Gouaix (Seine-et-Marne), Gouais-les-Saint-Bris (Yonne), Gouex (Vienne) or Goix (Nièvre). All four departments are located in the central north of France. Therefore, the theory of origin assumes that the variety also originated here and then spread throughout Europe. This was also assumed as early as 1903 by the ampelographer Adrien Berget, who had intensively researched French vines. A second hypothesis derives the name from "gou", a derogatory dialect term for the plain quality of the wines.

Direct descendants

Gouais Blanc or Heunisch is one of the most important leading varieties. The variety has passed on its genes in numerous natural crossings. The ampelographer Thierry Lacombe has identified over 100 direct descendants in the Domaine de Vassal vineyard through extensive DNA analysis. This has earned the variety the nickname "Casanova of grapes". Around 80 of them originated on French soil, which also speaks for the French origin. The rest come from the European countries Bulgaria, Germany, Georgia, Greece, Moldavia, Austria, Switzerland, Serbia, Slovenia, the Czech Republic and Hungary. By far the most common crossing partners were Pinot varieties (Blanc, Gris or Noir), with which over 30 other descendants were produced (see a list under Pinot). Some of the descendants:

Abondance to Bourboulenc

Cacaboué to Enfariné Noir

Feunate to Guignard de Saintours

Iordan to Muscadelle

Negru Moale to Plant de Vincelles

Raffiat de Moncade to Roussette d'Ayze

Saint Côme to Xinomavro

Properties

The medium ripening, very productive vine is resistant to frost, but susceptible to botrytis. The large bunches and juicy berries made it very popular as a dinner grape. Due to its digestive and laxative effect, it was also called laxative grape (laxieren = to lighten) or shit grape. It produces simple, acidic white wines with aromas of green apples and pears. The famous mystic Hildegard von Bingen (1098-1179) wrote as early as the 12th century "that the Franconian and strong wine makes the blood bubble up and must therefore be mixed with water, whereas this is not necessary with the Hunnish and naturally watery wine". The vine, which was highly valued for its rich yield, reliably filled the barrels and is therefore considered a "historical mass bearer".

Origin & Occurrence

The hypothesis that Emperor Probus (232-282) planted it in Dalmatia and that it spread from there is unlikely due to the lack of descendants in Croatia. Other hypotheses assume an origin in Eastern Europe (Hungary) or Georgia or the Caucasus. The variety was already widespread in the early Middle Ages under countless names. Its occurrence is documented from east to west in the Czech Republic (Bohemia, Moravia), Hungary, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria (then the Habsburg Empire), Italy (South Tyrol), Switzerland (where it was mentioned in Valais under the name "Gewess" as early as 1540), Germany and France (especially in the northeast). There it was often grown together with Pinot and Traminer (Savagnin Blanc). This is also the reason for the numerous descendants of these varieties. Due to the poor wine quality, Gouais Blanc and Elbling were later widely grubbed up and replaced by Franconian varieties.

An extraordinary find caused a great stir in 2003. The two German ampelographers Andreas Jung and Dr. Erika Dettweiler (Maul) from the Geilweilerhof Institute (Palatinate) discovered four historic to 400-year-old vineyards in the municipalities of Handschuhsheim, Dossenheim, Rohrbach and Leimen (Baden) with an abundance of extremely rare grape varieties. Among them was Weißer Heunisch in the Leimen "Schrecken" vineyard. The Georg Breuer vineyard in the Rheingau cultivates the variety in small quantities and presses a wine from it. There are other small stocks in Australiaä (0.5 ha) France (Savoy), in Switzerland (0.7 ha) with the Gwäss pressed from it, in Italy (Piemont) under Liseiret and Preveiral and in Portugal under Branco Valente (0.1 ha). In Austria, a few vines are in the vine museum of the Franz Leth winery (Wagram, Lower Austria). In 2016, only 1.2 hectares of vines were designated under Gouais Blanc (Kym Anderson).

Sources: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Dr. Erika Maul - Julius Kühn-Institut (Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof/Pfalz)
Grapes and leaves: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)

Voices of our members

Egon Mark

For me, Lexicon from wein.plus is the most comprehensive and best source of information about wine currently available.

Egon Mark
Diplom-Sommelier, Weinakademiker und Weinberater, Volders (Österreich)

The world's largest Lexicon of wine terms.

26,379 Keywords · 46,984 Synonyms · 5,323 Translations · 31,713 Pronunciations · 202,114 Cross-references
made with by our author Norbert F. J. Tischelmayer. About the Lexicon

EVENTS NEAR YOU

PREMIUM PARTNERS