In search of lost grapes | New Brief #260

Our guide at Champagne Leclerc-Briant tells us with a certain pride in her voice that they have planted the grape voltis, Champagne’s eighth permitted (with restrictions) grape variety. This is proof that the house is committed to sustainability. (There are actually nine permitted grapes in Champagne now.)

A new grape variety in Champagne that can be included to a maximum of 5% in a blend may not be a big sensation (however, any change in Champagne is, to some extent, a sensation). However, it is further proof of how the choice of grape variety in the vineyard can affect how winegrowers tackle climate change. Fungus-resistant grape varieties, such as voltis, are (very) slowly making their way in because they require less spraying. One of the main reasons for allowing voltis is not the taste, but that it requires less spraying and is therefore useful to plant close to houses, schools etc.

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But it is not just about reducing spraying. Drought and heat waves can ruin a harvest just as much as humidity and fungal diseases. This is where the lost (or forgotten) grapes come into play. A “forgotten grape” is a local grape variety that once existed in a region and later (more or less) disappeared for various reasons.

In the 20th century, the number of grape varieties decreased significantly in many wine countries, including France. Many were never replanted after phylloxera. Some were sacrificed when appellations were introduced, and the number of grape varieties had to be controlled and limited. Grapes that disappeared were perhaps difficult to grow, had too high or too low yields, produced wines that were too light in colour and style and didn’t suit the consumers of the time, etc. Now, wine producers are having second thoughts. Diversity within cultivated species can help make agriculture more resilient to climate change.

The fact that a grape variety is lost is not in itself a guarantee that it should be allowed to make a comeback. Many grape varieties are best left forgotten. A good example is some of what they had in Languedoc 50–60 years ago. The grape statistics from 1961 in Languedoc look pretty different compared to today. Who today has heard of aramon, grand noir de la calmette, grapput or valdiguié, not to mention abouriou? Aramon is still around, but only just. Grand noir de la calmette is described as a high-yielding grape variety that produces simple wines. All of these are mainly forgotten (although valdiguié is said to still exist in California, and the French Southwest is trying to revive abouriou). Yet in 1961, Aramon was planted on 160,000 hectares, grand noir de la calmette on 41,000 and abouriou on 5,000 hectares.

As a grape variety, you can be forgotten very quickly. Think of poor müller-thurgau in New Zealand. As recently as 1996 (!), the grape was New Zealand’s most planted. Now there are only a couple of hectares left. It has certain qualities, yes, but would New Zealand have had the same success with this grape as with sauvignon blanc? Probably not. But we recently had a delicious müller-thurgau from the Czech Republic, and there are some MT enthusiasts in Germany. If treated correctly, most grapes can produce interesting wines.

To deserve to be resurrected, certain qualities are required, such as good acidity and late ripening, so that the growers don’t have to harvest in sweltering summer. The whole idea is based on the belief that the forgotten grapes that have grown in a particular place for a long time are better adapted to that place than imported grape varieties.

An example of a resurrected grape is sumoll (read more on BKWine Magazine), an old variety in Penedès in Catalonia that can withstand drought very well. I have already come across two producers who have planted it. One of them, Parés Baltà, has grafted it onto old merlot vines (old local grape replaces an imported grape). Another is castets, which used to be grown in Bordeaux and then disappeared. In 2019, Bordeaux allowed seven new grape varieties in a ten-year experiment. Castets was one of the grapes (read more on BKWine Magazine); it buds late, ripens late and has good resistance to fungal diseases.

A similar trend is that people are increasingly experimenting with “unusual” grape varieties from other countries, often precisely for their tolerance to hot climates. For example, the Greek assyrtiko has been planted in France and the Cypriot xynisteri and maratheftiko in Australia and Italy, respectively.

Forgotten grapes have become something of a popular movement. France has associations for people who would rather not drink anything else. For environmentalist Miguel Torres in Spain, the concept of sustainability includes finding lost grapes. In California, there is an annual Festival of Forgotten Grapes; one is also organised annually in France, les Rencontres des Cépages Modestes. Wine enthusiasts become even more enthusiastic when seeing an unknown grape name on the label.

The New World countries made a name for themselves with a few French grape varieties, but they had been making wine for a long time before the international breakthrough. Also there, producers are realising the benefits of bringing forward their forgotten grapes, semillon, colombard, cinsault, carignan, país, counoise, palomino, teroldego… to our delight. Some grapes have almost completely disappeared in Europe but are thriving in South America, such as the delicious criolla grapes. But that story is for another time.

A suggestion: next time you buy wine, look for a grape variety that you have never heard of (or at least not tasted). And then tell us what you think!

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Britt & Per

Wine editors to the national encyclopedia, Forbes.com contributors, award-winning wine book authors, wine tour advisors to the UN and national wine organisations, wine judges … and, above all, passionate wine travellers.

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