''Trousseau Gris'' is a French

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, Zante currant, currant, sultana (grape), sultana). For a complete list of all grape species, including those unimp ...

made into

white wine White wine is a wine that is Fermentation in winemaking, fermented without undergoing the process of Maceration (wine), maceration, which involves prolonged contact between the juice with the grape skins, seeds, and pulp. The wine color, colou ...

. It is occasionally found in eastern France and was once widely grown in

California California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...

under the name ''Gray Riesling''. In cool climates it can produce fresh aromatic wines. It needs gentle handling and careful

winemaking Winemaking, wine-making, or vinification is the production of wine, starting with the selection of the fruit, its Ethanol fermentation, fermentation into alcohol, and the bottling of the finished liquid. The history of wine-making stretches over ...

to bring out its best. It is a white mutation of the red Trousseau grape.

History

The 'gris' mutant is native to Jura in Eastern

France France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...

Distribution and wines

France

These days Trousseau Gris is mostly found in the Jura,

Alsace Alsace (, ; ) is a cultural region and a territorial collectivity in the Grand Est administrative region of northeastern France, on the west bank of the upper Rhine, next to Germany and Switzerland. In January 2021, it had a population of 1,9 ...

Lorraine Lorraine, also , ; ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; ; ; is a cultural and historical region in Eastern France, now located in the administrative region of Grand Est. Its name stems from the medieval kingdom of ...

and sometimes in the Champagne wine region.

United States

Pax Wines - April 2022 - Sarah Stierch 04

"Gray Riesling" was once widely planted in

, but declined sharply in the 1980s. Trousseau Gris can be found in a few old field-blended

Zinfandel Zinfandel (also known as Primitivo) is a variety of black-skinned wine grape. The variety is grown in over 10 percent of California vineyards. DNA analysis has revealed that it is genetically equivalent to the Croatian grapes Crljenak Kašt ...

vineyards; the only standing block is ten acres of the Fanucchi Wood Road Vineyard in the Russian River Valley AVA. In addition to making an aromatic still wine of its own, it has often been blended with

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 a ...

Viognier Viognier () is a white wine grape variety. It is the only permitted grape for the French wine Condrieu AOC, Condrieu in the Rhone Valley (wine), Rhône Valley.J. Robinson ''The Oxford Companion to Wine'', Third Edition, p. 754, Oxford Univers ...

, White Zinfandel, and even some red wines. It has also been used in

dessert wine Dessert wines, sometimes called pudding wines in the United Kingdom, are sweet wines typically served with dessert. There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a mea ...

sparkling wine Sparkling wine is a wine with significant levels of carbon dioxide in it, making it fizzy. While it is common to refer to this as champagne, European Union countries legally reserve that word for products exclusively produced in the Champagne ( ...

s and

fortified wine Fortified wine is a wine to which a distilled spirit, usually brandy, has been added. In the course of some centuries, winemakers have developed many different styles of fortified wine, including port, sherry, madeira, Marsala, Command ...

Vine and viticulture

As a mutant of a

port A port is a maritime facility comprising one or more wharves or loading areas, where ships load and discharge cargo and passengers. Although usually situated on a sea coast or estuary, ports can also be found far inland, such as Hamburg, Manch ...

grape, Trousseau Gris can thrive in hot, dry conditions, producing much sweet fruit (as does any grape in hotter than optimal conditions). The best wines are made when it is grown in much cooler conditions, but only in the coolest parts of the coastal area of California especially the Russian River Valley or in the mountains of the Jura. It is a very meaty grape that doesn't like to release its juice and historically winemakers mistreated this grape with disastrous consequences but grown and handled properly, usually harvested around 23.5

brix Degrees Brix (symbol °Bx) is a measure of the dissolved solids in a liquid, based on its specific gravity, and is commonly used to measure dissolved sugar content of a solution. One degree Brix is 1 gram of sucrose solute dissolved in 100 grams ...

, and gently pressed, Trousseau Gris has a crisp, clean, aromatic - flowery bouquet with flavors of fresh peaches, honeysuckle, pear, melon, delicate spice and tropical fruit.

Synonyms

Baratszölö, Chauche Gris, Francia Szürke, Goundoulenc, Gray Riesling, Grey Riesling, Gris de Salces, Gris de Salses, Guindolenc, Guindoulenc, Hamu Szölö, Hamuszölö, Nagyvati, Sals, Sals Cenusiu, Salses Gris, Shome Seryi, Sose Serii, Terret D'Afrique Trousseau Gris is also used as a synonym for Trousseau Noir.

References

External links

VIVC Bibliography
{{Wines White wine grape varieties French wine