🍇 Aligoté

Aligoté is a white wine grape variety from France. According to the DNA markers in the VIVC catalogue, it is the offspring of two varieties — Gouais blanc, known in Germany as Heunisch, and Pinot. The catalogue lists 43 synonyms for Aligoté, among them Chaudenet, Giboudot, Plant gris and Troyen blanc.

Chardonnay and Gamay have the same parents. A study by Bowers and co-authors in the journal Science in 1999 showed that 16 old varieties of north-eastern France, including Chardonnay, Gamay, Aligoté and Melon, descend from the pair Pinot and Gouais blanc. Both parents were widespread in the region in the Middle Ages.

Aligoté has long been grown far from France too. According to VIVC, in 2009 it covered 15,790 ha in Moldova, 9,625 ha in Ukraine and 1,095 ha in Bulgaria, while in France in 2006 it covered 1,897 ha. According to the OIV, in Romania in 2015 Aligoté covered 6 thousand ha, or 3.1% of the vineyards, and was the country's fifth variety.

In Burgundy the variety gives its name to the Bourgogne aligoté designation, recognised by a decree of 31 July 1937. These are dry still white wines made from Aligoté alone, with a light greenish tint and acidic notes; they are usually drunk young. Yields are capped at 77 hl/ha and wood chips are prohibited; in 2008 these vineyards covered about 1,600 ha and gave almost 100,000 hl of wine a year.

Why it matters to you. «Bourgogne aligoté» on a label tells you both the variety and the Burgundian origin. If the variety is named on a wine from the EU, at least 85% of the bottle is that variety. White wine is served at 4–10 °C: a bottle straight from the fridge should stand for half an hour. Store it lying down, at 10–16 °C.