Petite Arvine (Small arvine)
Where petite arvine exactly comes from has often puzzled even the most distinguished specialists. Since the International Ampelographic Society's meeting in Geneva in 1878, they admitted that this vine variety only exists in Valais. The latest genetic research didn't manage to find any of petite arvine's "relatives'. All they found was a similarity to vine varieties in Val d'Aoste and in France. It is also said that during the last century, petite arvine was cultivated all over the canton, but mainly in the Martigny-Fully area.
Petite arvine is a late vine variety; it is harvested 20 to 30 days after chasselas. It is very fertile, reasonably vigorous and very demanding. It needs to be sheltered from the wind as it breaks easily and it thrives in the sun, but doesn't resist well to dryness. Petite arvine doesn't like a soil which is too rich and is very sensitive to herbicides.
Petite arvine's leaves are large, quite slim and a little jagged. The bunch of grapes is medium-sized and rather compact. The small, slightly flat grapes are green-yellow in colour.
Petite arvine is made into a dry, masculine wine. It has wisteria fragrance as well as a hint of honey. Citrus fruit, pineapple and rhubarb aromas can also be made out. It is quite acidic and it has a slight salinity. Harvested when ripe, arvine is a great wine making grape which makes it particularly well adapted to ageing. When left to over ripen, arvine is in the league with the great liqueurs. Some years, arvine makes an exceptional dessert wine thanks to its sensitivity to botrytis. When the hints of mushroom blend with the caramelised citrus and wisteria flavours, a degree of complexity and balance is achieved which many great wines can be envious of.
Arvine is only cultivated in Valais and Val d'Aoste. There are rumours that certain reputed wine makers, notably in France and Italy, show a lot of interest in arvine and are currently carrying out tests.
The surface area on which petite arvine is planted has more than doubled during the last decade. Between 1997 and 2000, more than ten hectares of it were planted, going from 54.6 to 64.9 hectares. It also benefited from the efforts made to encourage the replanting of vines; in 2002, there were 81 hectares and there will soon be 100 hectares of arvine.
Today, the names "arvine" and "petite arvine" are used indifferently. The "big" arvine (a variety with big grapes, a cross between rèze and an unknown grape variety which made more unrefined wines) has virtually disappeared. There is therefore no longer any possible confusion.
Being a dry wine, arvine goes very well with cheese, fish, shellfish...
Over ripened, it is ideal with foie gras (its salinity and its acidity are marvellous), but also with blue cheese if it is really syrupy.