Mauzac or Mauzac blanc a white

variety Variety may refer to: Arts and entertainment Entertainment formats * Variety (radio) * Variety show, in theater and television Films * ''Variety'' (1925 film), a German silent film directed by Ewald Andre Dupont * ''Variety'' (1935 film), ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

used for

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...

, of the species ''

Vitis vinifera ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran. There are cur ...

''. It is mainly grown in the

Gaillac Gaillac (; ) is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France. It had in 2013 a population of 14,334 inhabitants. Its inhabitants are called Gaillacois. Geography Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Montauban. It has ...

and

Limoux Limoux (; oc, Limós ) is a commune and subprefecture in the Aude department, a part of the ancient Languedoc province and the present-day Occitanie region in southern France. Its vineyards are famous for being first to produce sparkling w ...

regions in the southwest of

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. Total French plantations of Mauzac stood at in the year 2000. In Gaillac its aromatic

s are blended with

Len de l'El Len de l'El (various spellings have been reported:Institut Français de la Vigne et du Vin Sud-OuesLen de l'El B ou Loin de l'Oeil"'' (French). Accessed: 23 October 2011Oxford Companion to Wine'Gaillac entry"'' Accessed: 6 February 2011Ampélog ...

to create mildly sweet and sparkling white blended wines. Since the late 1980s, some Gaillac producers have created an interest in Mauzac by producing better wines. In Limoux, Mauzac is a compulsory part of the

Blanquette de Limoux Limoux wine is produced around the city of Limoux in Languedoc in southwestern France. Limoux wine is produced under four ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) designations: Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette méthode ancestrale, Crémant de ...

, where it may be blended with Chenin blanc and

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, , ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new ...

. However, in Limoux, plantations of Mauzac are decreasing at it is losing ground to Chardonnay. The grape is also one of the seven permitted white varieties in

Bordeaux wine Bordeaux wine ( oc, vin de Bordèu, french: vin de Bordeaux) is produced in the Bordeaux region of southwest France, around the city of Bordeaux, on the Garonne River. To the north of the city the Dordogne River joins the Garonne forming the ...

. Mauzac buds and ripens late, and was traditionally picked quite late, when temperatures had dropped in Limoux. This allowed for slow fermentation which preserved residual sugar for a "natural" second fermentation in the spring, creating a sparkling wine. Today, it is more common to pick Mauzac earlier, giving a more crisp wine with higher acidity, but also without much of its particular aromas.

Other colors

While Mauzac almost always refers to Mauzac blanc there are also Mauzac varieties with other skin colors; Mauzac rose and '' Mauzac noir''. Both of these are very rare in cultivation. While Mauzac rose is a

color mutation The propagation of grapevines is an important consideration in commercial viticulture and winemaking. Grapevines, most of which belong to the ''Vitis vinifera'' family, produce one crop of fruit each growing season (vine), growing season with a lim ...

of Mauzac blanc, Mauzac noir is a distinct variety whose relationship to Mauzac is unclear.J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 608-609 Allen Lane 2012 Some further distinguish other variants of Mauzac blanc, including Mauzac vert (green Mauzac), Mauzac roux (russet Mauzac), and Mauzac jaune (yellow Mauzac).

Synonyms

Mauzac blanc, or wine made with substantial proportions of it, is known under the following synonyms:Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Mauzac blanc
, accessed on October 5, 2009 Aiguillon, Becquin, Bekin, Bequin, Blanc Lafitte, Blanquette, Blanquette Aventice, Blanquette de Limoux, Blanquette Sucrée, Caspre, Clairac, Feuille Ronde, Gaillac, Gaillade, Gamet blanc, Manzac, Maousac, Mausac, Maussac, Mauza, Mauza blanca, Meauzac, Moisac, Moissac, Moysac, Mozac, Mozak Belyi, Peron, Perrond, Pied Rond, Plant de Gaillac, Primard, Queue Fort, Queue Roide, and Sudunais.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mauzac (Grape) White wine grape varieties