Romorantin
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| Romorantin | |
|---|---|
| Species: | Vitis vinifera |
| Also called: | Gros Plant De Villefranche (more) |
| Origin: | France |
| Notable regions: | Loire |
| Notable wines: | Cour-Cheverny |
Romorantin is a traditional French variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite widely grown in the Loire, it has now only seen in the Cour-Cheverny AOC. It produces intense, minerally wines somewhat reminiscent of Chablis.
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[edit] History
Legend has it that Romorantin was introduced to the Loire by King Francois I of France (1494-1547). The commune of Romorantin-Lanthenay is not far from the grape's stronghold in the Cheverny AOC, suggesting that the grape's name reflects a geographical connection - the king was from the region.
DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is one of many grapes to be the result of a cross between Gouais Blanc (Heunisch) and Pinot fin teinturier, making it a sibling of famous varieties such as Chardonnay and Aligoté. Gouais Blanc is a Croatian grape brought to Burgundy by the Romans. It used to be the most widely planted white grape in Germany and eastern France, grown by the peasants in the less favoured sites next to the better vineyards growing Pinot for their masters. This offered lots of opportunities for hybridisation, and the offspring benefited from hybrid vigour as the parents were genetically quite different. One might imagine that in this case the Pinot belonged to the king, and that he promoted plant breeding as part of his general encouragement of the arts and industry.
[edit] Distribution and wines
Romorantin was once quite widely grown in the Loire, but has now retreated to the Cour-Cheverny AOC, a small enclave of the Cheverny AOC which lies south of Blois. Most of it is made by François Cazin - he even makes a demi-sec late-harvest version, in years when it is affected by noble rot. It's also a component of the wines from the Valençay AOC.
A Romorantin vineyard at Domaine Henry Marionnet claims to be the oldest in France. It was planted in 1850 and somehow survived the phylloxera epidemic that devastated European vineyards in the late 19th century.[1]
[edit] Vine and viticulture
Romorantin prefers warmer conditions than most 'Loire' varieties.
[edit] Synonyms
Blanc De Villefranche, Celle Bruere, Dameri, Daneri, Danesy, Dannery, Framboise, Gros Blanc De Villefranche, Gros Plant De Villefranche, Lyonnaise Blanche, Maclon, Petit Dannezy, Petit Maconnais, Plant De Breze, Raisin De Grave, Ramorantin, Romoranten, Romorantin Blanc, Saint Amand, Verneuil.[2]
[edit] See also
- Other Gouais Blanc/Pinot crosses include Aubin Vert, Auxerrois, Bachet noir, Beaunoir, Franc Noir de la-Haute-Saône, Gamay Blanc Gloriod, Gamay noir, Melon, Knipperlé, Peurion, Roublot, and Sacy
[edit] References
- Robinson, Jancis (1992). Vines, Grapes and Wines: The Wine Drinker's Guide to Grape Varieties. Mitchell Beazley. ISBN 978-1857329995.
- Robinson, Jancis (2006). The Oxford Companion to Wine, third edition. Oxford University Press. 978-0198609902.
- Footnotes
- ^ Goode, Jamie, The World of Fine Wine (issue 13, 2006 p.72-77). Never the same since?.
- ^ Maul, Erika; Töpfer, Reinhard; Eibach, Rudolf (2007). Vitis International Variety Catalogue. Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof (IRZ), Siebeldingen, Germany. Retrieved on 2007-08-30.
[edit] External links
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