The grape variety with many colour variations probably originates from France. There are about 40 synonyms; some of which are Blue Blussard, Blue Malvasia, Blussard, Blussard Blue, Blussard Modry, Cornelle, Drille de Coq, Small-leaved Finger Grape, Mècle, Mescle, Méthie, Miècle, Olivette, Pandouleau, Pellosard, Pelossard, Peloussard, Pendoulot, Plant d'Arbois, Pleusard, Pleusart, Ploussard, Ploussard Noir, Ploussart, Ploussart Noir, Plussart, Polozard, Poulsard Blanc, Poulsard Rouge, Poulsard Noir, Poulsard Noir Musqué, Pulceau, Pulsard, Pulsare, Pulsare Blau, Quille de Coque, Raisin Perle, Schwarzer Malvasier and Yurskii Zhemchug. It must not be confused with the varieties Mècle de Bourgoin, Peloursin or Tressot Noir, despite seemingly suggestive synonyms or morphological similarities. The most common variety Poulsard Noir has a plum-like colour (pelosse is the common name for plum in the Jura). There are the somatic mutations Poulsard Blanc (white) and Poulsard Rouge (red), as well as the flavourful variety Poulsard Noir Musqué with a subtle muscat tone. An open-pollinated seedling of Poulsard is the variety Bacchus Noir. These varieties are almost extinct.
It is an ancient variety that was already mentioned in 1386 under the name Polozard in Lons-le-Saunier in the Jura appellation. The German ampelographer Johann Christian Metzger (1789-1852) mentioned it in his work "Die Wein- und Tafeltrauben der deutschen Weinberge und Gärten", published in 1836, under the name Blauer Blussard. At that time it was still widespread in the Swiss-French border region around Lake Geneva and also in Germany at the Kaiserstuhl in the Baden growing region. The early-ripening vine is susceptible to trickle and powdery mildew.
The large, thin-skinned berries have few pigments. It produces fragrant, rather light-coloured and not very full-bodied red wines, which nevertheless have a certain storage potential. They are usually blended with Trousseau and Pinot Noir. It is also used as a table grape. Poulsard Noir is mainly cultivated in the Jura region, where it is also permitted in white wines in some appellations. Small quantities also exist in the Bugey area. In 2016, 90 hectares of vines were recorded with an extreme downward trend for Poulsard Noir and 0.1 hectares for Poulsard Blanc (Kym Anderson).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
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Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)