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Hondarrabi Zuri is a white variety of Vitis vinifera (Grape) that is native of the Basque Country, Spain.
The bunches are small and compact and the berries small, round and golden in colour. The must produces a pale yellow wine, with aromas of citrus fruit, ripe fruit, herbs and flowers. It is the main grape used to make Txakoli wine.
Hondarrabi Zuri is a synonym for any of three grape varieties of Vitis vinifera found in South West France and Basque, an autonomous region of Spain, including:
Until the 19th century there were many hectares of hondarrabi zuri in the region. The aristocrat Wilhelm von Humboldt came to compare his wines with the most prestigious of Alsace and the Rhineland. It is not a very productive vine, so it is not he managed to recover the previous number of hectares. It rarely exceeds 8,000 kg/ha or 60 hl/ha. [2]
Some Basque producers blend Hondarrabi Zuri with the red Hondarrabi Beltza variety or with small amounts of Petit Corbu and Gros Manseng, to create wines with more aromatic complexity. [3]
Hondarrabi zuri vines produce grapes and bunches of small size. The wines have intense aromas of pear and exotic fruits, as well as citrus, herbaceous and floral nuances, with notable acidity and a medium to moderate alcohol content. In good vintages, when the maturation circumstances are optimal, it is possible to obtain aromatic, powerful and very balanced wines. The quality of the chacolíes that are produced with hondarribi zuri has nothing to do with that of others that are produced in the area with unsuitable varieties and incorrect production techniques, which produce wines that are not very aromatic, excessively acidic, light and often with a significant amount of dissolved carbon dioxide. [2]
In a subregion of Basque, called Txakoli, Hondarrabi Zuri is a synonym for both Courbu Blanc and Crouchen. [4] Hondarrabi Zuri is the predominant grape variety used in Txakoli's white wines. In Txakoli, Hondarrabi Zuri can be found with three different spellings: Hondarrabi Zuri, [4] Hondarribi Zuri [5] and Ondaria Zuria.
Hondarrabi Zuri, is grown in the following Denominaciones de Origen (DOs):
This variety is known by synonyms such as ondarrabi zuri, ondarabiya zuriya, ondarrabi txuri, ondarrubi zurilla, oudanabi, tocuri, txuri, zuri and zuria. Likewise, hondarrabi zuri is a synonym of the French courbu blanc grape. [6]
Aurore is a white complex hybrid grape variety produced by Albert Seibel and used for wine production mostly in the United States and Canada. Over a long lifetime Seibel produced many complex hybrid crosses of Vitis vinifera to American grapes. It is a cross of Seibel 788 and Seibel 29.
Mauzac or Mauzac blanc a white variety of grape used for wine, of the species Vitis vinifera. It is mainly grown in the Gaillac and Limoux regions in southwest France. Total French plantations of Mauzac stood at 3,200 hectares in the year 2000.
Crouchen is a white South African and Australian wine grape variety that originated in the western Pyrenees of France but is now virtually extinct in France due to its high susceptibility to fungal diseases like powdery and downy mildew. The grape is known under a wide variety of synonyms including Clare Riesling and Cape Riesling though it is not related to the well known international variety Riesling. Recent European Union regulation aimed at standardizing wine labelling laws has encouraged wineries to move away from these synonyms but their use still persists.
Vidal blanc is a white hybrid grape variety produced from the Vitis vinifera variety Ugni blanc and another hybrid variety, Rayon d'Or. It is a very winter-hardy variety that manages to produce high sugar levels in cold climates with moderate to high acidity.
Tibouren or Rossese di Dolceacqua is a red French wine grape variety that is primarily grown in Provence and Liguria but originated in Greece and possibly even the Middle East. Intensely aromatic, with an earthy bouquet that wine expert Jancis Robinson describes as garrigue, Tibouren is often used in the production of rosés.
Courbu is the name of three different, but related varieties of wine grapes primarily found in South West France. All are Vitis vinifera grapes. The name Courbu, without suffix, can refer to both Petit Courbu and Courbu blanc, and not all sources differ between the two.
Biancame is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Marche and Emilia-Romagna regions of Italy. Here it is an important component in the Denominazione di origine controllata (DOC) wines of Bianchello del Metauro and Colli di Rimini.
Bianca is a white Hungarian wine grape variety that was developed in 1963 in the Eger wine region of northeast Hungary. The grape is a hybrid crossing of Bouvier and Eger 2. The grape was officially register for use in wine production in 1982 and today is used to make a wide assortment of wines from dry varietals to sweet dessert wines. Bianca is growing in popularity among organic vineyards due to its natural high resistance to many fungal diseases that affect grapevines.
Verdesse is a white French wine grape variety grown primarily in the Bugey AOC of eastern France. It is also permitted under the Vin de Savoie AOC for wines produced in the Isère department up to a maximum allowance of 10%. Ampelographers believe that the variety is likely very old and originated along the Drac and Grésivaudan valleys in Isère.
Landot noir is a red hybrid grape variety that is a crossing of Landal and Villard blanc. Created after a series of trials between 1929-1949, the grape was introduced to Canada and the United States in the 1950s and today can be found in Quebec as well as New Hampshire where a varietal is produced by Jewell Towne Vineyards.
Ravat blanc is a white hybrid grape variety that is a crossing of Chardonnay and a Seibel grape. While the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) maintained by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding list Seibel 5474 as the second parent, Master of Wine Jancis Robinson notes that other authors list Seibel 8724 as the parent. The grape is often confused with the white hybrid grape Vignoles that is often called just Ravat.
Cabernet blanc is a white German and Swiss wine grape variety that is a crossing of the French wine grape Cabernet Sauvignon and Regent. The grape was bred by Swiss grape breeder Valentin Blattner in 1991. Cabernet blanc has strong resistance to most grape disease including botrytis bunch rot, downy and powdery mildew and tends to produce loose clusters of small, thick-skinned grape berries which can hang on the vine late into the harvest season to produce dessert wines. Today the grape is found primarily in the Palatinate wine region of Germany with some experimental plantings in Spain and the Netherlands. In France, in the Languedoc, Domaine La Colombette is heavily investing in PIWI grapes. Amongst others the Cabernet Blanc in their cuvée "Au Creux du Nid", is gaining wide acclaim.
Muscat bleu is a red Swiss wine and table grape variety that is a hybrid of Garnier 15-6 and Perle noire. The grape was developed in Peissy in the Canton of Geneva by Swiss grape breeder Charles Garnier in the 1930s. Today the grape is used as both a table grape and for winemaking, producing wines that Master of Wine Jancis Robinson describe as "soft and grapey". Outside Switzerland some plantings of Muscat bleu can also be found in Belgium.
L'Acadie blanc is a white Canadian wine grape variety that is a hybrid crossing of Cascade and Seyve-Villard 14-287. The grape was created in 1953 by grape breeder Ollie A. Bradt in Niagara, Ontario at the Vineland Horticultural Research Station which is now the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Today the grape is widely planted in Nova Scotia with some plantings in Quebec and Ontario. Some wine writers, including those at Appellation America, consider L'Acadie blanc as "Nova Scotia’s equivalent to Chardonnay".
Giró blanc is a pink-skinned Spanish wine grape variety grown in the Balearic islands where it used in white wines produced under the Illes Balears appellation. Ampelographers believe that the grape is indigenous to Majorca with DNA profiling showing no known relationship to the Sardinian wine grape Girò or to Grenache which is known as Girò on Majorca.
Termarina rossa is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. The grape is unique among Vitis vinifera varieties in that it is naturally seedless. Historically Termarina rossa was grown in the provinces of Parma and Reggio Emilia for use in production of jams and saba, a sweet syrup, made from boiling the must but today it is used as a blending variety in some of Indicazione geografica tipica (IGT) wines of the area.
Albanella is a white Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the Marche region where it is a primary component in the white Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wines of Colli Pesaresi. The grape is often confused with the similarly named Sicilian wine grape Albanello and was long thought to be identical to the Tuscan wine grape Trebbiano but has established through DNA analysis to be its own distinct variety.
Barsaglina is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in Tuscany and Liguria where it most often used to add color and tannins to blends. Some ampelographers speculate that grape may be related to Sangiovese due to morphological similarities. Barsaglina was near extinction until a Tuscan wine producer, Paolo Storchi, help revive the variety by making it a significant component of his red Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) Toscana blend. The grape is also permitted to be used in the Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) wines of Colli di Luni.
Bonamico is a red Italian wine grape variety that is grown in the province of Pisa in Tuscany where the grape has a reputation for producing very high yields. Some ampelographers speculate that the grape may have originated around the town of Palaia with the grape being known under the synonym of Uva di Palaia. While often used as a table grape, Bonamico can be a minor blending component in several Tuscan Denominazione di Origine Controllata (DOC) and Indicazione Geografica Tipica (IGT) wines where it often contributes floral aroma notes and acidity.
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