Savagnin
History
The history of Savagnin is complicated, and not helped by its rather unstable genome. The story starts with the ancient Traminer variety, a green-skinned grape recorded in the Tyrolean village of Tramin (Termeno) from ca. 1000 until the 16th century (this region now encompasses the Italian province of Bolzano-Bozen). The famous ampelographer Pierre Galet thought that Traminer was identical to the green-skinned Savagnin Blanc in the Jura. More recently it has been suggested that Savagnin Blanc acquired slight differences in its leaf shape and geraniol content as it travelled to the other end of the Alps.
Frankisch in Austria, Gringet in Savoie, Heida in Switzerland, Formentin in Hungary and Grumin from Bohemia are all very similar to Savagnin Blanc and probably represent clones of the Traminer family, if not Traminer itself. The Viognier of the Rhone Valley may be a more distant relative of Savagnin Blanc.
At some point, either Traminer or Savagnin Blanc mutated into a form with pink-skinned berries, called Red Traminer or Savagnin Rose. Galet believed that a musqu (‘muscat-like’) mutation in the Red Traminer/Savagnin Rose then led to the extra-aromatic Gewrztraminer, although in Germany these names are all regarded as synonymous.
With these convoluted genetics happening in the area that has been the front line for a millennium of wars in Europe, it’s maybe not surprising that vines have been misnamed. Given that the wine made from ‘Gewrztraminer’ in Germany can be much less aromatic than that in Alsace, some of the German vines may well be misidentified Savagnin Rose. The Baden vineyard of Durbach claims its own type of Red Traminer called Durbacher Clevner (not to be confused with “Klevner”, an Austrian synonym for Pinot Blanc). The story goes that in 1780 Karl Friedrich, Grand Duke of Baden brought vines from Chiavenna in Italy, halfway between Tramin and the Jura, which was known to the Germans as Cleven.
The Klevener de Heiligenstein or Heiligensteiner Klevener found around Heiligenstein in Alsace may represent an outpost of the Durbach vines. They are often described as a less aromatic form of Gewrztraminer, which sounds just like the Red Traminer!
The varieties Aubin Blanc and the Champagne grape Petit Meslier are probably the result of a cross between Gouais Blanc and Savagnin Blanc.
Distribution and wines
Vin Jaune
France
Savagnin Blanc is mostly grown in the Jura. It is most famous as the only grape allowed in the vin jaunes of Chteau-Chalon and L’toile, similar to fino sherry with a covering of flor but not fortified and without the use of the solera system. Savagnin is blended with Chardonnay to make a conventional dry white wine in L’toile and Ctes du Jura, the fortified Macvin du Jura, a sparkling wine called Crmant du Jura
It is also blended into Ctes du Jura vin de paille, a dessert wine made from grapes left to dry on straw.
The Gringet of Savoie is probably Savagnin Blanc; it is used to make sparkling wine and table wines.
Germany
As mentioned above, Durbach is home to the best known Red Traminer in Germany, and a lot of their so-called Gewrztraminer may well be mislabelled Red Traminer.See .
Switzerland
Not surprisingly the Swiss Alps are home to a Traminer-like grape, called Heida, first recorded in 1586.. The alternative name Paen (‘pagan’) or Pan possibly hints at an ancient, pre-Christian origin. Visperterminen in the Valais is home to some of the highest vineyards in Europe, where Heida is made into table and dessert wines.
Australia
It has recently been discovered that grape growers and wine makers in Australia have been supplying and selling Savagnin wrongly labelled for over a decade. They thought they were pouring money into the market for the Spanish albarino grape, only to discover this is not the case.
A visiting French expert raised questions in 2008 and DNA testing has confirmed that the grapes are in fact French Savagnin. Almost all wine in Australia labelled as albarino will be savagnin.
Vine and viticulture
Savagnin Blanc is very late ripening, and may be picked as late as December. Like its cousin Gewrztraminer, it is a temperamental grape to grow, with low yields at the end of it.
Synonyms
As explained above, genetic instability means that the Traminer/Savagnin group should be regarded as a family of related clones rather than distinct varieties. Thus DNA analysis will probably reveal that the following names are not synonymous, but for the record these are the synonyms currently listed by Geilweilerhof for Savagnin Blanc :
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. You may be able to add Gringet, Grumin, Heida and Paen to that list.
It gets even worse when it comes to the red mutant, as Geilweilerhof being Germans see no difference between it and Gewrztraminer – and some of the names look like they belong to the original green-skinned form. Still here they are, with the same caveat as before :
Auvernas Rouge, Blanc Brun, Blanc Court, Bon Blanc, Christkindeltraube, Clevner, Crovena Ruzica, Dreimaenner, Dreimannen, Dreipfennigholz, Drumin, Duret Rouge, Edeltraube, Fermentin Rouge, Fleischweiner, Fourmenteau Rouge, Frencher, Fromente, Fromenteau, Fuszeres, Gentil Rose Aromatique, Gentil-duret Rouge, Gentile Blanc, Gewuerztraminer, Gringet, Gris Rouge, Haiden, Kirmizi Traminer, Klaebinger, Klaevner, Kleinbraun, Kleinwiener, Livora Cervena, Mala Dinka, Marzimmer, Mirisavi Traminac, Nature, Nature Rose, Noble Rose, Nuernberger Rot, Pinat Cervena, Piros Tramini, Plant Paien, Princ Cerveny, Princt Cervena, Ranfoliza, Rotclevner, Rotedel, Roter Nuernberger, Roter Traminer, Rotfranken, Rothklauser, Rothweiner, Rothwiener, Rotklaevler, Rotklaevner, Rotklevner, Rousselet, Rusa, Ruska, Ryvola, Salvagnin, Sauvagnin, Savagnin Jaune, Savagnin Rosa Aromatique, Savagnin Rose, St. Klauser, Termeno Aromatico, Tramin Cerveny, Tramin Korenny, Traminac Crveni, Traminac Diseci, Traminac Mirisavi, Traminer, Traminer Aromatico, Traminer Musque, Traminer Parfume, Traminer Rot, Traminer Rozovyi, Tramini Piros, Trammener. You may be able to add Durbacher Clevner, Heiligensteiner Klevener, Klevener de Heiligenstein and Savagnin Rosa to those names.
See also
Vin jaune
References
^ winepros.com.au. Oxford Companion to Wine. “Savagnin”. http://www.winepros.com.au/jsp/cda/reference/oxford_entry.jsp?entry_id=2872.
^ Scienza, A; Villa,P; Gianazza,E; Mattivi,F & Versini,G (18 May 1990). “La Caratterizzazione Genetica Del Traminer”. Gewuerztraminer, Traminer Aromatico. Symposium in Bolzano, Italy. http://vitis-vea.zadi.de/SEARCH/VITISVEA_ENG/DDW?W%3DDESK_BAZ++%3D+’AMPELOGRAPHY’%26M%3D362%26K%3DW0+9202g0011%26R%3DY%26U%3D1. Retrieved 2007-08-28.
^ url = http://www.desertwine.com
^ url =http://www.Traminer.com
^ Office Cantonal De La Viticulture (July 2002). “La Collection De Cepages Et Porte-greffe Du Musee Valaisan De La Vigne Et Du Vin”. Musee Valaisan De La Vigne Et Du Vin. http://www.Traminer.com.
^ http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/article/2009/04/15/70855_horticulture.html
^ a b Maul, E.; Eibach, R. (1999-06-00). “Vitis International Variety Catalogue”. Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity (IBV) of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Deichmanns Aue 29, 53179 Bonn, Germany. http://www.genres.de/idb/vitis/. Retrieved 2007-06-16.
Further reading
Robinson, Jancis, Vines, Grapes & Wines, Mitchell Beazley, 1986, ISBN 1857329996
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Categories: Grape varieties
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