Romorantin is a traditional
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
variety of white wine grape, that is a sibling of
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 ...
. 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.
History
Legend has it that Romorantin was introduced to the Loire by King
Francis I of France
Francis I (french: François Ier; frm, Francoys; 12 September 1494 – 31 March 1547) was King of France from 1515 until his death in 1547. He was the son of Charles, Count of Angoulême, and Louise of Savoy. He succeeded his first cousin on ...
(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
DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's DNA characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is called DNA barcoding.
DNA profiling is a forensic t ...
has shown that it is one of many grapes to be the result of a cross between
Gouais blanc
Gouais blanc () or Weißer Heunisch () is a white grape variety that is seldom grown today but is important as the ancestor of many traditional French and German grape varieties. The name ''Gouais'' derives from the old French adjective ‘ ...
(Heunisch) and
Pinot Pinot may refer to:
*Pinot (grape), a grape family
*Pinot (surname)
*Pinot (restaurant), a restaurant by chef Joachim Splichal
See also
*Pino (disambiguation)
Pino or Piño may refer to:
People
* Danny Pino (born 1974), American actor
* Domeni ...
fin
teinturier
Teinturier grapes are grapes whose flesh and juice is red in colour due to anthocyanin pigments accumulating within the pulp of the grape berry itself. In most cases, anthocyanin pigments are confined to the outer skin tissue only, and the squee ...
, making it a sibling of famous varieties such as Chardonnay and
Aligoté.
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
Blois ( ; ) is a commune and the capital city of Loir-et-Cher department, in Centre-Val de Loire, France, on the banks of the lower Loire river between Orléans and Tours.
With 45,898 inhabitants by 2019, Blois is the most populated city of the ...
. There are thirty five producers listed for this small AOP listed on the website of Le Maison des Vins de Cheverny.
A Romorantin vineyard at Domaine Henry Marionnet claims to be the oldest in France. It was planted in 1850 and somehow survived the
phylloxera
Grape phylloxera is an insect pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America. Grape phylloxera (''Daktulosphaira vitifoliae'' (Fitch 1855) belong to the family Phylloxeridae, within the order Hemiptera, bu ...
epidemic that devastated European vineyards in the late 19th century.
[Goode, Jamie, ''The World of Fine Wine'' Never the same since? (issue 13 2006) p.72-7]
/ref>
Vine and viticulture
Romorantin prefers warmer conditions than most 'Loire' varieties.
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.
See also
* Other Gouais blanc/Pinot crosses include Aubin vert
Aubin vert is a white French wine grape variety that is grown in the Lorraine region where it is an authorized variety for the '' Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) wines of the Moselle. While often confused for the Côtes de Toul grape Aub ...
, Auxerrois, Bachet noir
Bachet noir is a traditional French variety of red wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. A little is still grown in the Aube, where it is used to add colour and body to Gamay wines.
History
DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is one of m ...
, Beaunoir
Beaunoir is a traditional French variety of red wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. The 'beautiful black' grape produces a thin wine and not much is grown these days.
History
DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is one of many grapes to ...
, Franc Noir de la-Haute-Saône
The franc is any of various units of currency. One franc is typically divided into 100 centimes. The name is said to derive from the Latin inscription ''francorum rex'' (King of the Franks) used on early French coins and until the 18th centur ...
, Gamay Blanc Gloriod
Gamay Blanc Gloriod is an obscure French wine, French variety of white wine grape. Very little of it is grown commercially.
It is named after Émile Gloriod, who discovered it as a seedling; it was originally thought to be a white version of the ...
, Gamay noir
Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long ago as the 15th centu ...
, Melon
A melon is any of various plants of the family Cucurbitaceae with sweet, edible, and fleshy fruit. The word "melon" can refer to either the plant or specifically to the fruit. Botanically, a melon is a kind of berry, specifically a "pepo". T ...
, Knipperlé
Knipperlé is a traditional French variety of white wine grape from Alsace. It's not listed for use in AOC wine, but is a minor component of blends for local drinking, in some ways an Alsatian equivalent of its sibling Aligoté in Burgundy.
His ...
, Peurion
Peurion is a traditional French variety of white wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. Once quite popular, not much is still grown in France these days.
History
Peurion was popularized by the Augustinian monks at Langres north of Dijon a ...
, Roublot
Roublot is a traditional French variety of white wine grape that is a sibling of Chardonnay. It was once quite widely grown near Auxerre.
History
In the early 19th century, Roublot made up a third of the area in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux in the west ...
, and Sacy
References
External links
VIVC Bibliography
{{Wines
* http://www.maisondesvinsdecheverny.fr/fr/aoc-cheverny-et-cour-cheverny/les-hommes.html
White wine grape varieties
French wine