Sacy is a white

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 ...

grown primarily in the central and northeastern

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic, Pacific and Indian Oceans. Its metropolitan ar ...

within the

Yonne Yonne () is a department in the Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region in France. It is named after the river Yonne, which flows through it, in the country's north-central part. One of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté's eight constituent departments, it is l ...

and Allier départments. J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 232 Mitchell Beazley 1986 Sacy ripens early, and produces light-coloured wines low in acid and alcohol.

Parentage

DNA typing Genetic testing, also known as DNA testing, is used to identify changes in DNA sequence or chromosome structure. Genetic testing can also include measuring the results of genetic changes, such as RNA analysis as an output of gene expression, or ...

has revealed Sacy to be a cross between Pinot and

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 ‘ ...

.Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Sacy
accessed on June 3, 2009 The DNA typing does not allow the identification of which Pinot variety (such as

Pinot noir Pinot Noir () is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French language, French words for ''pine'' and ''black.' ...

Pinot gris Pinot Gris, Pinot Grigio (, ) or Grauburgunder is a white wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. Thought to be a mutant clone of the Pinot Noir variety, it normally has a grayish-blue fruit, accounting for its name, but the gr ...

) that was the parent. Sacy is one of a large number of French grape varieties sharing this parentage. This finding calls into question the older assumption that the grape variety would have originated in

Italy Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...

, although it does not completely rule it out.

History

The grape's origins have been assumed to be Italy, where it is supposed to have been brought to

Burgundy Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The ...

some time in the thirteenth century by monks of the Reigny Abbey. The vine's high yields and productivity made it a popular plant that soon led to overproduction in neighboring areas. In 1732, the

Parliament In modern politics, and history, a parliament is a legislative body of government. Generally, a modern parliament has three functions: representing the electorate, making laws, and overseeing the government via hearings and inquiries. ...

s of nearby

Besançon Besançon (, , , ; archaic german: Bisanz; la, Vesontio) is the prefecture of the department of Doubs in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté. The city is located in Eastern France, close to the Jura Mountains and the border with Switzerla ...

and Vermonton banned any additional plantings. The grape continued to be produced in the Yonne department where it was used as a blending component in ''Crémant de Bourgogne'' wines from Auxerrois and as a blending partner with

Aligoté Aligoté is a white grape used to make dry white wines, especially in the Burgundy region of France where it was first recorded in the 18th century.winepros.com.au. Since it is tolerant to cold, this variety is also cultivated in Eastern Europ ...

and, to a lesser extent,

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 ...

Regions

In the northern

Rhône The Rhône ( , ; wae, Rotten ; frp, Rôno ; oc, Ròse ) is a major river in France and Switzerland, rising in the Alps and flowing west and south through Lake Geneva and southeastern France before discharging into the Mediterranean Sea. At Ar ...

Valley and in the

Auvergne Auvergne (; ; oc, label= Occitan, Auvèrnhe or ) is a former administrative region in central France, comprising the four departments of Allier, Puy-de-Dôme, Cantal and Haute-Loire. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region Auve ...

region, the grape is known as Tresallier and is often blended with

Sauvignon blanc is a green-skinned grape variety that originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French words ''sauvage'' ("wild") and ''blanc'' ("white") due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in ...

to form a tart white wine. J. Robinson ''Vines, Grapes & Wines'' pg 120 Mitchell Beazley 1986 Today,

Saint-Pourçain Saint-Pourçain may refer to several communes in France: * Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule, in the Allier department * Saint-Pourçain-sur-Besbre, in the Allier department It may also refer to an ''Appellation d'origine contrôlée'' for wine: * Saint-P ...

in the upper Loire Valley is the only French appellation to include Sacy in its blend.Vins de Saint-Pourçain : l’INAO donne son feu vert à l’AOC
press release from INAO on May 29, 2009 In Saint-Pourçain, blending of Sacy and Chardonnay is mandatory, and some Sauvignon blanc may also be included.

Synonyms

Sacy is known under the following synonyms: Aligoté vert, Blanc de Pays, Blanc Moulin, Blanc vert, Fairené, Farié, Farinier blanc, Ferné, Fernet, Ferney, Gros blanc, Menu blanc, Peut blanc, Pivoine, Plant d'Essert, Plant de Sacy, Sassy, Souche, Terzari, Tres Sailier, Tresalier, Tresallier, Tressaillier, Tressalier, Tressallier, Trezaguier, Trezailhi, Trezali, Trezari, and Weissklemmer.

References

{{reflist White wine grape varieties