Argant
Encyclopedia
Argant is an ancient variety of red wine
grape
. It originated in Spain and may have been taken to eastern France
by the Romans. It was briefly popular, but little of it remains today. It used to be common in southwestern Germany
and in Austria
under the name Gänsfüßer ("goose-feet").
One claim to fame is as a parent, with Pinot Noir
, of the Burgundian
variety César
, which inherits colour and tannins from Argant. Unfortunately it also inherited Argant's early bud break, which makes it susceptible to frost. César (also known as 'Romain') takes its name from the tradition that it was brought to Burgundy by the Romans - since Pinot is native to eastern France it is more likely that if any grape was carried by the legions, it would have been Argant rather than its offspring.
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
. It originated in Spain and may have been taken to eastern France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
by the Romans. It was briefly popular, but little of it remains today. It used to be common in southwestern Germany
Germany
Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...
and in Austria
Austria
Austria , officially the Republic of Austria , is a landlocked country of roughly 8.4 million people in Central Europe. It is bordered by the Czech Republic and Germany to the north, Slovakia and Hungary to the east, Slovenia and Italy to the south, and Switzerland and Liechtenstein to the...
under the name Gänsfüßer ("goose-feet").
History
As the alternative name Espagnol suggests, tradition says that Argant came from Spain. It appears on a list of 14 varieties recommended for winemaking in the Jura in 1774 and plantings seem to have expanded over the next century, but were never very extensive and the story seems to have been one of decline since then.One claim to fame is as a parent, with Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
, of the Burgundian
Burgundy wine
Burgundy wine is wine made in the Burgundy region in eastern France, in the valleys and slopes west of the Saône River, a tributary of the Rhône. The most famous wines produced here - those commonly referred to as "Burgundies" - are red wines made from Pinot Noir grapes or white wines made from...
variety César
César (grape)
César is an ancient red wine grape from northern Burgundy. It makes dark, tannic wines that are softened by blending with Pinot Noir and sometimes by carbonic maceration...
, which inherits colour and tannins from Argant. Unfortunately it also inherited Argant's early bud break, which makes it susceptible to frost. César (also known as 'Romain') takes its name from the tradition that it was brought to Burgundy by the Romans - since Pinot is native to eastern France it is more likely that if any grape was carried by the legions, it would have been Argant rather than its offspring.
Distribution and Wines
The variety of synonyms point to Argant having been planted across a wide area of Western Europe, but little survives today. The Jura was always something of a stronghold, and there's almost none left there now.Vine and Viticulture
One reason for Argant's popularity in the 19th century was its good resistance to mildew.Synonyms
Argan, Blauer Gansfüsser, Bockshorn, Buchser, Erlenbacher, Espagnol, Gänsfüßer (Gaensfuesser), Gaensfuesser Blau, Gänsfüßler (Gaensfuessler), Gros Margilien Espagnol, Gros Margillien, Gros Margillien Arbois, Grossrote, Margillien, Margillin, Rouillot, Tokai Chernyi, Tokai RanniiFurther reading
- Robinson, Jancis Vines, Grapes & Wines Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1-85732-999-6