Savagnin
A Jura grape behind vin jaune and vin de paille.
Savagnin, also known as Savagnin blanc, is a green-skinned white wine grape variety primarily cultivated in the Jura region of France. It is most notable for being the sole grape used in the production of vin jaune and vin de paille.
Quick Facts
- Species
- Vitis vinifera
- Also called
- Traminer
- Paien
- Heida
- Origin
- The Alps
- Regions
- Jura, France
- Notable wines
- Vin jaune, vin de paille
Facts from the source article.
History
The history of Savagnin is complex due to its unstable genome. It traces back to the ancient Traminer variety, a green-skinned grape recorded in the Tyrolean village of Tramin from around 1000 until the 16th century, now in the Italian province of South Tyrol. Ampelographer Pierre Galet considered Traminer identical to Savagnin blanc, though later suggestions indicate slight differences in leaf shape and geraniol content developed as it moved across the Alps. Varieties like Frankisch in Austria, Heida and Païen in Switzerland, Furmint in Hungary, and tramín bílý from Bohemia are very similar and likely clones of Traminer. Viognier may be a more distant relative. A mutation produced pink-skinned Red Traminer or Savagnin rose, and Galet believed a musqué mutation in that form led to Gewürztraminer, though German usage treats these names synonymously. Some German Gewürztraminer may be misidentified Savagnin rose. Durbach in Baden claims its own Red Traminer called Durbacher Clevner, reportedly brought from Chiavenna, Italy in 1780 by Karl Friedrich. The Klevener de Heiligenstein in Alsace may be an outpost of Durbach vines. Aubin blanc and Petit Meslier may result from crosses between Gouais blanc and Savagnin blanc.
Distribution and wines
Savagnin blanc is mostly grown in the Jura, with French plantations totaling 472 ha in 2007. It is the only grape allowed in vin jaunes from Château-Chalon and L'Étoile, which resemble fino sherry with a flor covering but are not fortified and lack a solera system. In L'Étoile and Côtes du Jura, Savagnin is blended with Chardonnay for conventional dry white wine, fortified Macvin du Jura, and sparkling Crémant du Jura. It also appears in Côtes du Jura vin de paille, a dessert wine from dried grapes. The Gringet of Savoie is unrelated. Durbach in Germany has plantings of Red Traminer, with potentially more from misidentified Gewürztraminer. In the Swiss Alps, the Traminer-like Heida was first recorded in 1586; its alternative name Païen may refer to pagan or local origins. Visperterminen in Valais hosts some of Europe's highest vineyards, where Heida produces table and dessert wines. In Australia, growers and winemakers sold Savagnin wrongly labeled as albarino until 2009, when DNA testing confirmed the grapes as Savagnin from Spanish cuttings, possibly originating in Spain or France.
Synonyms
Genetic instability means the Traminer or Savagnin group is best seen as a family of related clones. For Savagnin blanc, Geilweilerhof lists synonyms including Auvernat blanc, Bon blanc, Forment, Formentin blanc, Fraentsch, Fromenteau, Gentil blanc, Gruenedel, Princ Bily, Printsch Grau, Ryvola Bila, Schleitheimer, Servoyen blanc, Traminer D'Ore, Traminer Weiss, and Traminac. For the red mutant, Geilweilerhof sees no difference from Gewürztraminer, though some synonyms may belong to the green-skinned form. These include Auvernas rouge, Blanc Brun, Clevner, Dreimaenner, Edeltraube, Fromente, Gewuerztraminer, Gringet, Kirmizi Traminer, Plant Paien, Roter Traminer, Rousselet, Savagnin rose, Traminer, Traminer Rot, and many others such as Traminac Crveni and Tramini Piros.
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