Folle Blanche

Posted by Unknown at 01:15

Folle Blanche (fol blonsh) was best known as the variety used in making the brandies of Cognac and Armagnac.The use of rootstocks, which became necessary after the phylloxera invasion, accentuated its susceptibility to Botrytis; in affected areas its replacement by Saint Emilion (syn.Trebbiano) and, to a lesser extent, Colombard is well advanced.This is reflected in the decrease in planted area in France from 15 800 ha to 3600 ha between 1958 and 1988. However, it is maintaining and even slightly increasing its area in the lower valley of the Loire, where it is used to make a wine exported to Germany for making sparkling wines, or a white table wine, high in acid and low in alcohol, for which there is some demand.

In California it accumulates enough sugar to make a good table wine, yet retains enough acid to be excellent for sparkling wine. However, expansion is restricted by problems with bunch rot. The variety has not been grown commercially in Australia. Plantings which might have been Folle Blanche have proved to be the variety known as Sercial in Australia.

Cañocazo

Posted by Unknown at 01:14

Cañocazo (kan-o-kah-zo) is a minor Spanish variety, not listed for use in any wines of controlled appellation and not authorised for planting in any part of Spain. Scattered small plantings still exist in the sherry area and it is one of four varieties used as parents in a breeding program at the national research station at Jerez; the others are Palomino, Pedro Ximenez and an authorised variety called Garrido. It was probably brought to Australia in early collections from the sherry area and was formerly grown under the names of Palomino and Pedro. In Australia, Cañocazo is grown mostly in South Australia with a little in the Murray Valley Irrigation Areas of New South Wales and Victoria.

Carignan

Posted by Unknown at 00:56

Carignan (kah-rig-nan or kah-rin-yon) is best known as a French variety although it is of Spanish origin, taking its name from the town of Carinena in Aragon. It is a prominent variety in several areas of Spain but has not made much headway in other European countries. The formerly large area of Carignan planting in Algeria has been considerably reduced since 1962. It is still an important red grape variety in California where it is known as Carignane, although the area has declined and currently stands at around 2445 ha. It is grown to a lesser extent in Chile and Argentina. In 2003 there were 51 ha of Carignan growing commercially in Australia. It should not be confused with Bonvedro, which was incorrectly called Carignan in South Australia. The variety is more susceptible to fungal diseases than most other wine grape varieties and needs a higher level of light for full photosynthetic efficiency. In Australia, therefore, it should do best in the inland irrigation areas.

Chambourcin

Posted by Unknown at 02:54

Chambourcin (sham-bour-sin) is a complex hybrid produced in France by the private breeder Joannes Seyve (JS26-205). Its parentage has not been published but it would be based on the better Seibel hybrids and involve up to eight of the US species of Vitis. It was officially released in 1963. It is being grown commercially in the eastern US and was introduced into Australia by CSIRO in 1973.

Chambourcin shows very good resistance to downy and powdery mildews and to phylloxera, both against damage to the root system and galling on the leaves

Chardonnay

Posted by Unknown at 02:49

Chardonnay, (shah-don-nay) rather than the former name of Pinot Chardonnay, is now the official name for this variety in France and California, two places where it is widely grown, to avoid confusion with Pinot Blanc. In France most of the plantings are in the Burgundy and Champagne regions. In California it was not widely grown until selected clones of high yield became available. Expansion since then has been rapid and there are now around 40 000 ha planted. Chardonnay is grown in many other countries but it is sometimes difficult to know how much confusion there may be with Pinot Blanc. There have been small plantings of Chardonnay in Australia for many years, but only relatively recently has that the variety has become popular, with plantings now in excess of 24 000 ha.

Chenin Blanc

Posted by Unknown at 02:47

Chenin Blanc (shen-in blohnc or shan-in

blohnc) is the official name for this variety

in France, but it is often called Pineau de la

Loire. It is the main variety of the Loire

Valley. In California there was a rapid

increase in area planted, until the early

1990s.The variety called Pinot Blanco in

Chile and Argentina is Chenin Blanc.The

largest area of Chenin Blanc is in South

Africa, where it is planted under the name

of Steen. The variety seems to have been

brought to Australia under several names

and its identity lost. In Western Australia it

was formerly incorrectly known as

Semillon, and in South Australia it was

wrongly named Albillo or Sherry. 748 ha of

Chenin Blanc were recorded in Australia in

2003

Cienna

Posted by Unknown at 02:45

Cienna (sih-en-nah) is one of three new varieties of wine grape varieties developed by CSIRO and granted Plant Breeders Rights in 2000. Cienna, Rubienne and Tyrian are all progeny of a cross between the Spanish variety Sumoll and Cabernet Sauvignon, made in 1972 by the late Allan Antcliff at the Merbein research station. Each of the new varieties was selected using criteria including good (grape juice) sugar:acid ratios, low pH, good colour and flavour and adequate yields.The aim was to produce highquality red varieties suited to Australian conditions.The best few varieties were extensively trialled and evaluated by industry panels and under a range of climatic and cultural conditions.

Cinsaut

Posted by Unknown at 02:44

Cinsaut (sahn-soh) (sometimes spelt Cinq-saou or Cinsault) is a variety from the Mediterranean region in the south of France. Some Cinsaut is registered for the purpose of table grapes but its main importance is as a recommended variety for improving the quality of the wines from the south of France. In South Africa it is called Hermitage. It was formerly grown quite widely in Algeria and, being the black variety best adapted to the hot dry conditions there, plantings of it may not have been as drastically reduced as those of other varieties. It is grown in Italy under the name of Ottavianello in the province of Brindisi. In California, the small planting (63 ha) is also called Black Malvoisie. In Australia, some is grown in South Australia, Victoria and New South Wales. It has been called Blue Imperial in north-east Victoria, Black Prince at Great Western and often Ulliade or Oeillade in other areas.