Mondeuse Noire

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Mondeuse Noir is a red wine grape that is grown primarily in Savoie. The grape can also be found in Argentina, Australia, and California. The grape was hit hard during the phylloxera epidemic of the 1800s which nearly wiped out the vine from eastern France. In Savoie the grape is used in blending with Gamay, Pinot Noir and Poulsard where it contributes its dark color and high acid levels to the wine that allow the wines to age well. [1]

[edit] Muscardin

In the Southern Rhone Valley there is a local variant known as Muscardin that is nearly identical to the Mondeuse Noir except that it has less sensitivity to downy mildew. The resulting wine tends to have high acid levels, low alcohol and lighter tannic structures. The color is also lighter than most Rhone varieties and the wine is prone to the wine fault of oxidation. [2]

Muscardin is one of the thirteen grape varieties permitted in the wine Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

[edit] See also

[edit] References

  1. ^ J. Robinson Vines, Grapes & Wines pg 201 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1-85732-999-6
  2. ^ J. Robinson Vines, Grapes & Wines pg 203 Mitchell Beazley 1986 ISBN 1-85732-999-6