🍇 Folle Blanche

Folle blanche is a white wine grape from southwest France. It makes the dry white Gros Plant du Pays nantais, with lemon and sometimes iodine notes, which the INAO recommends with oysters. It used to be the base of Cognac and Armagnac, but its area in France fell from 15,865 ha in 1958 to 1,770 ha in 2009 (VIVC).

The earliest record of the variety dates from 1696 (Charente-Maritime). The word "folle" comes from the French fou, "crazy": probably because of its vigorous vines and high yields. The name "Gros Plant" was first recorded in 1732. According to Wikipedia, Folle blanche is an offspring of Gouais blanc, and the other parent is unknown. The INAO writes that from the 16th century to the mid-18th century, under Dutch trade, Folle blanche displaced other varieties in the Nantes area, and the wine went mostly to distillation. After phylloxera in the 19th century, growers switched to hardier varieties, among them Baco blanc, which descends from Folle blanche and Noah.

Gros Plant du Pays nantais was recognized as an appellation in 1954; the zone covers about 90 communes and almost coincides with the Muscadet zone. Under the EU single document the wines are white and dry, with natural alcohol of at least 9% and sugar of up to 4 g/l; the permitted varieties are Folle blanche, Colombard and Montils. The label term "sur lie" means that the wine rested for a year after harvest on its fine lees and was bottled at the producer's winery.

Why it matters to you. Gros Plant du Pays nantais on a label is an AOC made from Folle blanche: dry and refreshing, for oysters. Do not confuse Folle blanche with Picpoul from Languedoc: "Picpoul" is one of its synonyms, but the Picpoul of Languedoc is not related to it (Wikipedia).