Valdeguié
Encyclopedia
Valdiguié is a red wine
grape
grown primarily in the Languedoc-Roussillon
region of southern France
, where it is generally known by the alias Gros Auxerrois. In Gaillac
it is known as Brocol, and in California
it has been known as Napa Gamay or Gamay 15. Until 1980 Napa Gamay was believed to be the Gamay
of Beaujolais
, but following genetic analysis the name 'Napa Gamay' has been banned from U.S. wine
labels since January 1999. Confusingly, both the Pinot Noir
clone Gamay Beaujolais
and 'Napa Gamay' could be labelled 'Gamay Beaujolais', a name banned on labels from April 2007.
Other synonyms include Valdiguer, Cahors, Jean-Pierrou at Sauzet, Quercy and Noir de Chartres.
It produces medium to large conical clusters of dark blue-black fruit. It is a high yielding vine that is fairly resistant to oidium
(powdery mildew).
. The wines tend to be of light to medium body and are frequently made in a style similar to the true Gamay of Beaujolais.
Some producers (such as J. Lohr and Paul Mathew) utilize carbonic maceration
in order to produce a wine with a deep, purple-red color and fruity taste, with flavors of berries and black cherry
.
Valdiguié in France
has a reputation as a workhorse variety grown to attract grants from the European Union
, who promptly turned it into industrial alcohol.
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...
grown primarily in the Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon
Languedoc-Roussillon is one of the 27 regions of France. It comprises five departments, and borders the other French regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur, Rhône-Alpes, Auvergne, Midi-Pyrénées on the one side, and Spain, Andorra and the Mediterranean sea on the other side.-Geography:The region is...
region of southern 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...
, where it is generally known by the alias Gros Auxerrois. In Gaillac
Gaillac
Gaillac is a commune in the Tarn department in southern France.-Geography of Gaillac:Gaillac is a town situated between Toulouse, Albi and Monatauban. It has gained a large amount of recognition due to the wines that bear the towns name. The Tarn river runs along the border of the town by the...
it is known as Brocol, and in California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
it has been known as Napa Gamay or Gamay 15. Until 1980 Napa Gamay was believed to be the Gamay
Gamay
Gamay is a purple-colored grape variety used to make red wines, most notably grown in Beaujolais and in the Loire Valley around Tours. Its full name is Gamay Noir à Jus Blanc. It is a very old cultivar, mentioned as long ago as the 15th century...
of Beaujolais
Beaujolais
Beaujolais is a French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée wine generally made of the Gamay grape which has a thin skin and is low in tannins. Like most AOC wines they are not labeled varietally. Whites from the region, which make up only 1% of its production, are made mostly with Chardonnay grapes...
, but following genetic analysis the name 'Napa Gamay' has been banned from U.S. wine
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...
labels since January 1999. Confusingly, both the 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...
clone Gamay Beaujolais
Gamay Beaujolais
Gamay Beaujolais is a varietal designation for a Californian grape variety that is an early ripening clone of Pinot noir.- History :In the late 1930s an early pioneer of the American viticulture, Paul Masson, brought with him several Burgundian grapes for his winery in California...
and 'Napa Gamay' could be labelled 'Gamay Beaujolais', a name banned on labels from April 2007.
Other synonyms include Valdiguer, Cahors, Jean-Pierrou at Sauzet, Quercy and Noir de Chartres.
Description
Valdiguié was first commercially propagated in 1874, although its origin is unclear. There are three main theories :- M. Valdiguié (1745-1817) selected a seedling from the MerilleMerilleMerille is a red French wine grape variety that is grown primarily in the Garonne of South West France. It is a common grape in table wine....
variety - Guillaume Valdiguié found it in the vineyard of a Templar monastery in Aujols
- Jean Baptiste Valdiguié found it in a vineyard in Puylaroque and sold it from 1874
It produces medium to large conical clusters of dark blue-black fruit. It is a high yielding vine that is fairly resistant to oidium
Oidium
This article is about a type of fungal spore. For the ascomycete genus, see Oidium . For the fungus that causes powdery mildew on grapes, see Uncinula necator....
(powdery mildew).
Cultivation and winemaking
Valdiguié produces dark colored wines that are low in alcoholAlcohol
In chemistry, an alcohol is an organic compound in which the hydroxy functional group is bound to a carbon atom. In particular, this carbon center should be saturated, having single bonds to three other atoms....
. The wines tend to be of light to medium body and are frequently made in a style similar to the true Gamay of Beaujolais.
Some producers (such as J. Lohr and Paul Mathew) utilize carbonic maceration
Carbonic maceration
Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique, often associated with the French wine region of Beaujolais, in which whole grapes are fermented in a carbon dioxide rich environment prior to crushing. Conventional alcoholic fermentation involves crushing the grapes to free the juice and pulp from the...
in order to produce a wine with a deep, purple-red color and fruity taste, with flavors of berries and black cherry
Black Cherry
Prunus serotina, commonly called black cherry, wild black cherry, rum cherry, or mountain black cherry, is a woody plant species belonging to the genus Prunus...
.
Valdiguié in 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...
has a reputation as a workhorse variety grown to attract grants from the European Union
European Union
The European Union is an economic and political union of 27 independent member states which are located primarily in Europe. The EU traces its origins from the European Coal and Steel Community and the European Economic Community , formed by six countries in 1958...
, who promptly turned it into industrial alcohol.