Chasselas
The origins of chasselas are unknown. The specialists have numerous assumptions. The author of the famous Vine Variety Encyclopaedia quotes two of them. The first would be that chasselas is of oriental origin. It would have been cultivated in the Constantinople area and then brought over to France in the 16th Century by one of François 1st's ambassadors. Later, in the 18th Century, during Louis 15th's reign, General Courten would have imported the chasselas plants originating from Roy's vine arbour in Fontainebleau to Switzerland. But Pierre Galet also mentions that the opposite could have happened, situating chasselas" origins on the banks of Lake Geneva. Cistercian monks would have cultivated chasselas in Dézaley since the middle ages. From there, it would have spread in all directions. Adrien Berget confirms that "tradition and text testify that fendant (chasselas) comes from Switzerland. All you have to do to convince yourself is to examine the geographical distribution of its "vine to wine" culture." Berget also states that Roy's famous vine arbour in Fontainebleau wasn't planted until 1750 and that chasselas could have been imported directly from Switzerland by the garrison to the castle. Claude-Henri Carruzzo, author of "Vine Varieties of the Valais" puts forward yet more assumptions. The first situates chasselas" origins in the south of France, stating that François 1st would have taken vine shoots there, and the other considers it to originate from the village of Chasselas, in the Maçon area.
Be that as it may, we know that chasselas only really started being grown in Valais in 1847, during the Sonderbund War, when the regiments from Neuchâtel and Vaud occupied the canton. It was also during this period that it was named Fendant (melting), due to the fact that, when squashed between thumb and index finger, certain chasselas grapes melt.
Chasselas is a vine variety from the 1st period. It is highly fertile, but its productivity can be very irregular. It is sensitive to numerous illnesses: failure to set fruit, chlorosis, mildew, grape worm, etc. Its early budding makes it vulnerable to springtime frosts. On the other hand, its large, cone shaped bunches of grapes in which the grapes are not too tightly packed, resist rather well to grey rot. The chasselas grapes are easily recognised: well rounded, quite big and they go golden easily in the autumn sun.
Fendant is a neutral wine (as opposed to being aromatic). Fruity, floral, mineral, the pallet of flavours is vast, due to the fact that chasselas gets a lot of its flavour from the soil in which it is grown. It is not unlikely to detect hints of gunflint, lime blossom or a fruity, slightly lemony flavour. A good fendant should be light and should stay fresh and lively thanks to its good balance of acidity. In the case of over-production or an unfavourable climate, chasselas can have unpleasant herbaceous flavours.
Chasselas is the first table wine cultivated in France, but the surface area which it occupies is decreasing: from 1958 to 1999, it has been divided by six and is currently less than 3500 hectares. Chasselas grapes are cultivated in numerous European countries for the production of wine. In total, it occupies some 35,000 hectares, of which more than 5,000 are in Switzerland. It is less than in Romania (13,000 hectares) and Hungary (6000 hectares), but more than in France where only 494 hectares are cultivated to produce wine. Chasselas can also be found in Germany, Yugoslavia, the Czech Republic, Slovakia, Austria, Spain, Russia, Ukraine, Albania, Turkey, Italy and Portugal. Chasselas has also conquered North Africa (Algeria, the Lebanon and Israel) and it can also be found further afield such as in Chilli, California and New Zealand.
Even though Chasselas is easily the white grape variety which dominates in Valais, it is however losing pace. Between 1990 and 2000, the surface area on which chasselas vines were planted decreased by 233 hectares. This decrease is getting even bigger following the introduction of subsidies for the destruction of vines due to over-production problems met all over the French speaking part of Switzerland, despite the introduction of production quotas which are more and more severe. Today, there are 1,500 hectares in Valais, as opposed to more than 1,800 in 1990.
Fendant is the wine which accompanies the traditional dishes from Valais. It goes so well with raclette or a plate of traditional dried meats. As a general rule, we associate it with cheese dishes, but it also goes very well with grilled fish or seafood. Above all, it is an excellent wine for an aperitif, as well as a good all-round wine, ideal for social events.