Arbois or Arbois Blanc is a white French wine grape variety planted primarily in the Loire regions. J. Robinson ''Jancis Robinson's Wine Course'' Third Edition pg 100 Abbeville Press 2003 Despite being a minor grape, in the late 20th century it was the third most widely planted grape variety in the

Loir-et-Cher Loir-et-Cher (, ) is a department in the Centre-Val de Loire region of France. Its name is originated from two rivers which cross it, the Loir in its northern part and the Cher in its southern part. Its prefecture is Blois. The INSEE and La P ...

'' département'' which includes the winemaking areas of Cheverny, Cour-Cheverny, Montrichard,

Oisly Oisly () is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. Population References See also *Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department The following is a list of the 267 communes of the Loir-et-Cher department of France. The c ...

Saint-Romain-sur-Cher Saint-Romain-sur-Cher (, literally ''Saint-Romain on Cher'') is a commune in the Loir-et-Cher department of central France. Population See also *Communes of the Loir-et-Cher department The following is a list of the 267 communes of the Loi ...

, Valençay as well as vineyards that make wines under the

Touraine AOC Touraine is an ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée'' (AOC) in the Loire Valley wine region in France that produce dry, white wines and red wines rich in tannins. The AOC status was awarded by a decree of December 24, 1939 (modified by the decree ...

, Cremant de Loire AOC and '' Vin de Pays du Loir et Cher''. By 2004 acreage had steadily declined to around 750 acres (300 hectares). It is still a permitted grape variety in the '' Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) regions of Cheverny AOC, Valençay AOC and

Vouvray AOC Vouvray is a French wine region in the Loire Valley located in the Touraine district just east of the city of Tours in the commune of Vouvray. The ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' (AOC) is dedicated almost exclusively to Chenin blanc; the ...

. J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 29 Oxford University Press 2006 T. Stevenson ''"The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia"'' pg 210 Dorling Kindersley 2005

History

Ampelographers are not completely sure about Arbois' origins though some of the grape's

synonyms A synonym is a word, morpheme, or phrase that means exactly or nearly the same as another word, morpheme, or phrase in a given language. For example, in the English language, the words ''begin'', ''start'', ''commence'', and ''initiate'' are all ...

seem to suggest a relationship with the Pinot family, as does its weak association with the Jura wine region of Arbois AOC (mostly through its similarities in leaf structure with Savagnin). It is most likely that the grape is native to the Loire Valley. J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 231 Mitchell Beazley 1986 Most of the grape's viticultural history is tied into the historic Touraine region where it is still most prevalent today, particularly in the Loir-et-Cher ''département''. The grape is on the decline in plantings and importance though it is still a permitted grape variety in several AOCs including being the only grape other than Chenin blanc permitted in

Vouvray Vouvray (, , ) is a commune in the Indre-et-Loire department in central France. It is around 9 km east of the centre of Tours. It is best known for its production of white wine, rated among the best in France. Population Education Schoo ...

. Wein-Plus Wine Guide
Vouvray AOC
'' Accessed: September 23rd, 2009

Wine

The Arbois grapevine is highly vigorous and prone to producing high yields. If the yields are not kept in check, the white wines produced from the grapes can be less refined in flavor. Compared to the Chenin blanc grape that is found throughout the Loire, Arbois tends to produce softer wines with less noticeable acidity. Oz Clarke ''Encyclopedia of Grapes'' pg 38 Harcourt Books 2001 For this reason, Arbois has mostly been valued as a "softening" agent to the higher acid varieties of Chenin blanc, Savagnin and Romorantin.

Synonyms

Among the synonyms that Arbois is known under throughout France are Menu Pineau and Petit Pineau. Other synonyms include Herbois, Orbois and Verdet.

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties