Gutedel

The white Chasselas (german Gutedel) grape variety is certainly very, very old and is definitely one of the oldest of all grape varieties. The German capital of Chasselas is located in the Markgräferland region (between Freiburg i. Br. and the border with Switzerland).

The vine is cultivated worldwide as a (red and white) table grape, but the variety plays the largest role in the production of white wine in French-speaking Switzerland. It is called Chasselas in France and Fendant in the Swiss Valais. There are varieties of this variety: the golden yellow chasselas, the red chasselas, the Krachtgutedel, the Königsgutedel, the early white chasselas and the slit-leaf chasselas (also known as parsley grape).

Chasselas is also a speciality of the Saale - Unstrut wine-growing region. The oldest cultivated grape here produces a pleasantly fragrant wine with flavours of apples, ripe pears and nuts.

The first documented references to the Chasselas or Chasselas vine date back to the 16th and 17th centuries, first in Württemberg, then in Burgundy and the canton of Vaud. At the same time, numerous distant and strange places of origin were attributed to it, such as the Jordan Valley, the Fayum oasis in Egypt or Constantinople or Lebanon. A genetic study led by a certain Dr Vouillamoz on the origins of the Chasselas vine was completed in 2009. In three phases, first 511, then 317 and finally 132 varieties from Europe and the Middle East were scrutinised. The result allows the most outlandish hypotheses, such as the origin from the Middle East or Egypt, to be buried once and for all. Although the parents of Chasselas remain unknown, as is often the case with very old grape varieties, 20 clone varieties with the same DNA were identified.

The Chasselas grape has genetic similarities with most of the old varieties of the Alpine arc, such as Teroldego, Lagreiner or Altesse, and was at the origin of Mornen Noir. Burgundy, where Chasselas was mentioned in the 17th century under the name Fendans, Fendant or Lausannois, is within the genetic range of Chasselas, in particular the village of the same name, which is very likely a transit point for this variety.