Gouais Blanc
I have never tried a wine made from Gouais Blanc, but it’s a fascinating grape variety. Originating from France, there’s almost none left planted; Alpine Switzerland and Italy are the only regions where any Gouais Blanc remains commercially, albeit on a very small scale. The wines are (apparently) extremely high in acid, very neutral in aromatics, and not particularly interesting. So why it is such a fascinating variety?
Research into the DNA of grape varieties since the 1990s has shown that Gouais Blanc is genetically one of the most important. It’s the parent of varieties which produce some of the greatest wine in the world. Without Gouais Blanc, wine as we know it wouldn’t exist, even if no one actually drinks Gouais Blanc itself. Sometimes the genetics of grape varieties are clear; for instance, Cabernet Franc and Sauvignon Blanc crossed to make Cabernet Sauvignon. But in other instances, the genetics don’t make that much sense: how is it that such an uninteresting variety as Gouais Blanc is responsible for some of the most important varieties in France, Germany, Austria, and Hungary?
The first time I learnt about Gouais Blanc was in a WSET Diploma class, where our instructor told us that Gouais Blanc, together with Pinot Noir, was the parent of Chardonnay, Aligoté, and Gamay. That made no sense. Those are three completely different grape varieties, although all from Burgundy/Beaujolais. How could Pinot Noir, a black grape variety, be the parent of Chardonnay and Aligoté which are white varieties? How could Gouais Blanc, which I had previously not heard of, be the parent of Gamay? Chardonnay and Aligoté I could get my head around, because they’re also high acid, non-aromatic varieties, but Gamay was harder to fathom. Our instructor compared it to a family of three children who don’t look alike and have different coloured hair, despite having the same parents. That’s how genetics works, but it isn’t easy to fully understand.
The importance of Gouais Blanc goes beyond those three Burgundy varieties. According to Wine Grapes, it’s the parent of 81 separate grape varieties. For a variety that’s now barely planted, that’s an astonishing figure. Some of those varieties are obscure, such as Aubin Blanc and Petit Meslier (natural crossings with Savagnin, another significant variety in the evolution of various grapes). Gouais Blanc has also produced varieties with Chenin Blanc, such as Colombard. This is also a non-aromatic variety with high acid, often used for brandy. With Colombard, the influence of Gouais Blanc is apparent as the wines produced are quite boring, in contrast to Chenin Blanc: Gouais Blanc seems to have an inordinate influence on the character of its off-spring.
But many of the off-spring of Gouais Blanc are exciting and aromatic. Riesling is a possible off-shoot, although the crossing is unknown. Furmint, the principle variety of Tokaji, is another example (there’s conjecture that Gouais Blanc originates in Hungary, but it’s likely to be from northern France/western Germany). Blaufränkisch, in Austria, likewise. The lesser known Elbling, which is planted in Luxembourg, is a high-acid, low-key alternative to Riesling. There is a common theme with these varieties which stem from Gouais Blanc: high acid. But there’s a huge variation in the aromatic profile of the wines.
Gouais Blanc, which is a very vigorous, high-yielding variety, has been banned for wine production several times within France, another indicator of its lack of quality. Despite being a probable parent of Furmint, there are no plantings of Gouais Blanc in Hungary. Its historic importance means it has several heteronyms: Preveiral in Piemonte, Gwäss in Switzerland, Heunisch Weiss in Germany. The latter name shows the low regard Gouais Blanc was held in: Heunisch was an overall name for varieties that produced basic quality wine in contrast to varieties which were given the name Fränkisch. Yet Gouais Blanc is a probable parent of Blaufränkisch: the history of Gouais Blanc (first mentioned in 1283) isn’t just of the science of DNA but also the confusing development of the language and classification of grape varieties.
For a variety that is now barely planted, Gouais Blanc is an integral part of the fabric of contemporary wine production. Without it, we would have no Chardonnay, Gamay, Aligoté, Riesling, or Furmint: its genetic tentacles spread across Europe and subsequently the rest of the world. Looking at its history provides an insight into the science of DNA and genetics, without fully explaining how such an undistinguished grape variety is vital to the wine we enjoy today. Next time you raise a glass of wine, toast Gouais Blanc even if you’ll never ever get to try a wine made from the variety.