🍇 Chasselas

Chasselas is a white grape variety grown both for wine and as a table grape. In Germany it is called Gutedel, and the VIVC catalogue lists no fewer than 412 synonyms for it, including Fendant, Dorin and Perlan.

VIVC does not give a country of origin for Chasselas, and there is no full DNA-confirmed pedigree. What the catalogue does record is that the variety has offspring: a whole series of other varieties descend from Chasselas.

Switzerland grows the most Chasselas. According to the Federal Office for Agriculture, in 2025 it covered 3,416 ha there. That makes it the country's most widely planted white variety and more than half of the area under all white grapes. Swiss vineyards totalled 14,431 ha that year, and the leading variety by area was Pinot Noir with 3,594 ha. Chasselas juice is checked in many cantons, from Vaud and Valais to Geneva and Neuchâtel.

Chasselas is also valued as a table grape. In France the name «Chasselas de Moissac» is protected in the EU as a designation of origin — for fresh grapes, not for wine.

Why it matters to you. «Chasselas», «Gutedel» and «Fendant» on a label are one and the same variety. 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.