Courbu is the name of three different, but related varieties of

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

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry (botany), berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non-Climacteric (botany), climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of ...

s primarily found in South West France. All are ''

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

'' grapes. The name Courbu, without suffix, can refer to both Petit Courbu and Courbu blanc, and not all sources differ between the two.

Petit Courbu

Petit Courbu is a white wine grape from

Gascony Gascony (; french: Gascogne ; oc, Gasconha ; eu, Gaskoinia) was a province of the southwestern Kingdom of France that succeeded the Duchy of Gascony (602–1453). From the 17th century until the French Revolution (1789–1799), it was part ...

with a long history in the region. It adds body and contributes aromas of citrus and honey to the wines. It is found in Pacherenc du Vic-Bilh AOC and other appellations of the region. It is known under the synonyms Courbu and Courbu Petit.

Courbu blanc

Courbu blanc is found primarily in the Basque areas, such as

Irouléguy AOC Irouléguy AOC wines ( eu, Irulegi, ) come from Lower Navarre in the Northern Basque Country, France and are usually considered as part of the wine region of South West France (''Sud-Ouest''). They are named after the village of Irouléguy and ar ...

. It is similar to Petit Courbu, but has darker young leaves. It is known under the synonyms Bordeleza Zuria,

Chacoli Txakoli (pronounced ) or chacolí (pronounced ) is a slightly sparkling, very dry white wine with high acidity and low alcohol content produced in the Spanish Basque Country, Cantabria and northern Burgos in Spain. Further afield, Chile is also ...

Zuria, Cougnet, Courbeau, Courbi blanc, Courbies, Courbis, Courbu, Courbu Gros, Courbut, Courbut blanc, Courtoisie, Hondarrabi Zuri, Hondarribi Zuri, Ondaria Zuria and Vieux Pacherenc.

Courbu noir

Courbu noir is a speciality of

Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three B ...

, but is now almost extinct. It is known under the synonyms Courbu rouge and Dolceolo.

Other grapes

Courbu rouge, which can refer to Courbu noir, is also a synonym of

Manseng noir Manseng noir (sometimes translated: Black Manseng) is a wine grape variety of Basque origins that is grown primarily in South West France. It is allowed into Béarn AOC wine but very little used. Manseng Noir is deep in colour and tannic. Lik ...

.Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Manseng noir
, accessed on June 26, 2008

References

{{Reflist White wine grape varieties