The white grape variety originates from France. Synonyms are Auxerrois Gros, Blanc de Nantes, Bourguignon Blanc, Feuille Ronde, Gamay Blanc, Gros Auxerrois, Gros Blanc, Latran, Lyonnais, Lyonnaise Blanche, Melon, Melon Bijeli, Muscadet, Petit Bourgogne, Pétoin, Pétouin and Plant de Bourgogne. It must not be confused with the varieties Aligoté (Melon de Jura), Auxerrois, Chardonnay (Melon d'Arbois), Gros Bl anc, Pinot Bl anc or Traminer (Savagnin Jaune), despite seemingly indicative synonyms or morphological. According to DNA analyses carried out most recently in 2013, it is one of the numerous presumably natural crosses between the two leading varieties Gouais Blanc x Pinot. The medium-maturing, high-yielding vine is resistant to frost, but very susceptible to botrytis. It produces neutral-tasting, low-acid white wines with a discreet muscat tone and citrus aroma that are particularly suitable for distillation.
The variety originates from Burgundy, where it is said to have been cultivated as early as the 13th century. In the Middle Ages, it spread to the Loire Valley under the name Plant de Bourgogne, where it may have been mentioned as early as 1530 by the famous Franciscan friar François Rabelais (1494-1553). In the 17th century, under the name Muscadet, it became the dominant vine in the lower reaches of the Loire, during which time it was mainly used as a base wine for brandy. Today, it is grown there mainly in the departments of Loire-Atlantique and Maine-et-Loire and is used in four Muscadet appellation wines. The French cultivation area totals 9,550 hectares with a strong downward trend. In Argentina, the variety is grown on one hectare and in Switzerland on 0.1 hectare. It was introduced to California in the 1980s, but was initially wrongly called Pinot Blanc. Further stocks are also said to exist in Oregon and Washington. In 2016, a total of 9,551 hectares were designated. It is thus ranked 76th in the world 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)
