Hello;
I read in the ?October? Decanter that Swiss wine producers were doing away
with their Fendant vines and replacing them with more "international"
varietals (I suppose that would mean Cab Sauv and Chard). Made me think.
Fendant is grown in Alsace under the names Chasselas and Gutedel, and was
mostly used for the cheap generic plonk Edelzwicker, which, apparently, is
most Chasselas. Apparently, in the move towards higher quality wines,
Chasselas was torn up and replaced with the noble grapes, like Riesling and
Gewurz, Pinot Gris and Muscat (according to soil etc).
Today, some producers are putting out wines made entirely from Chasselas,
using old vines, and reducing output, to produce of some quality, under the
name of Chasselas. These have apparently been quite well received (at least
in Sweden, which, it is admitted does not have all that great credibility in
matters vineous). Possibly, these wines herald a renaissance of the lowly
Gutedel. I haste to add that I have not tasted these wines, but hope to do
so coming summer.

If I remember correctly, in the South (Languedoc), some years back,
traditional vines were torn up and replaced with "international" varietals
(vide supra). After a few years, it was realised that the old, traditional
varietals, provided you reduced output, and used old vines, produced very
good wines of character - more so than the Cabs, Merlots, and Chards.
The producers who had stuck to their guns (namely, the old varietals) could
cash in on their conservatism.

Now, I realise the obvious possibility that I completely miss-remember a lot
of these things. Nevertheless, it still makes me wonder if, in case the
Decanter is right, the Swiss producers would be doing something they later
have cause to regret?

What´s your EU 0.02?

Cheers

Nils Gustaf

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