Let's Talk Gouais Blanc

GouaisBlanc is grape I keep running into as I read about varieties and who the parents are. It is apparently pretty much extinct in France, where it was mainly in the Savoie and spreading its wild oats far & wide. It is, in fact, the parent of some 81 distinct grape varieties. It has been labeled the "Casanova of grapes", for good reason. It is/was known to produce wines of very inferior quality. It was termed by one writer as a "$hit grape" (goes well w/ its name in Croatia...Krapinska Belina).

Any speculation (or even factual knowledge would do) as to why GouaisBlanc was so prolific in the Savoie?? Perhaps because its flowers produce an extraordinary amount of pollen?

Though near extinct in Savoie, there are some plantings elsewhere. GeorgBreuer produces one in Germany under its name there..HennischWeiss. There are several producers of the wine in the Swiss Valais. Anybody ever try any of those GouaisBlanc wines?? Just sorta curious. Maybe the World's greatest GouaisBlanc could be made in Calif if someone planted it (you be listening, MattRorick??).
Tom

before you cross this bridge, watch out for the Troll!

[David M. Bueker]

Gouais Blanc is not Casanova. It's a floozy.

I posted this in 2009*:

I find Gouais !!

by Peter May » 00:49 27 Jan 09
An almost extinct white grape variety, Gouais, has recently been causing excitement among wine geeks. DNA testing has revealed that Gouais, has a most important role as a parent of many of today’s famous varieties.

It has been said that Gouais has an affinity for Pinot Noir; cross pollination of Gouais and Pinot Noir has at various times in the past produced Beaujolais’s Gamay and the two white Burgundy vines Chardonnay and Aligote as well as half a dozen lesser known varieties

But Gouais didn’t remain true to Pinot Noir. It crossed with other varieties to create Riesling and Columbard, as well as the rare Champagne grape Petite Meslier.

According to Wikipedia, Gouais is now extinct in France except for examples in a vine bank in Montpelier and can be found growing only in Switzerland.

To that add Australia, as I found to my surprise when I called into Chambers Rosewood Vineyards in Rutherglen, Victoria. Rutherglen as a whole, and Chambers in particular, are famed for fortified wines, both for sherry and port style and especially for luscious dessert wines made from Muscadelle and Muscat.

Chambers also make table wines from familiar varieties as well as lesser known ones such as Chasselas, Mondeuse, Cinsault and Durif. And they make a varietal Gouais. “We have two rows of Gouais,” said winemaker and six-generation owner Stephen Chambers. “We received a whole load of different varieties from France in the 1800’s,” he told me. “They were all planted out and we kept growing those that did well here.”

I tasted the 2002 and 2003 Chambers Gouais, the first at the winery, the latter with dinner.
gouais1.jpg


Chambers Rosewood Vineyards
Gouais 2003

Medium dark yellow colour,

Subdued nose with a hint of lime-peel.

Lychees, quite acidic and some tannins. There’s an oily mouth feel, and it has a clean crisp dry finish. I was concerned about the colour and though it was possibly a bit oxidised.

Knowing the ties to both Riesling & Chardonnay, one can make a connection - the mouthfeel of Riesling with some Chardonnay character.

It is not possible to make a generalisation about a grape variety by tasting just one example wine. This particular example was a quite simple, crisp dry wine and not one I’d go back for. I would however love to taste a more recent vintage from this producer and any other examples.


*original thread is here - viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21826&p=187233

During the Middle Ages the Church and the nobility might have regarded Gouais Blanc as an “inferior” grape variety (most likely there was attempts to ban the grape). The serfs on the other hand seemed to like it. Take Medieval Burgundy, the serfs who had their own vineyards in the “lowlands” needed a grape variety that more or less took care of its self (easy to grow and produce good yields) because most of the time they were too busy caring for the vines of the Church and nobility in the “highlands”.

Salute

I did a search on the Winegrape Glossary and came up with 29 hits. Except for the the description of the grape itself, most of the hits were as as a parent of various vinefera grapes. While most of these are obscure, the list included Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, Riesling, Chenin Blanc and Lemberger. So, apparently, as a progenitor it adds some qualities to making these grapes appealing and commercially sustainable. Perhaps someone should try it to produce new hybrids?

It is not possible to make a generalisation about a grape variety by tasting just one example wine. This particular example was a quite simple, crisp dry wine and not one I’d go back for. I would however love to taste a more recent vintage from this producer and any other examples.
*original thread is here - viewtopic.php?f=3&t=21826&p=187233

Thanks, Peter..eggsactly the kind of stuff I was looking for.
Tom

a parent of various vinefera grapes. While most of these are obscure, the list included Pinot Noir

Did you mean Gamay?

a parent of various vinefera grapes. While most of these are obscure, the list included Pinot Noir

Did you mean Gamay?

Yes, I stand corrected. The glossary listed many varieties (including Gamay) as having " Pinot cepage x Gouais Blanc cross", and I saw Pinot so many times, I was confused.