Wines made from Altesse grapes of Genève
Discover the best wines made with Altesse as a single variety or as a blend of Genève.
The Altesse white grape variety is French in origin, but its ancestors were brought from Cyprus. It then developed in the vineyards of the southeast of the country. The Montagnieu fusette or arbane, as it is also called, buds early in the year. A cottony veil covers the first buds. The involuted blade and the U-shaped petiolar sinus distinguish the adult, three-lobed leaves. During, sometimes for late vengeance, the clusters of medium or small size are winged, compact and cylindrical.the fruits reveal a melting pulp under a film of variable color. The pink-tan colour replaces the early reddish yellow when the berries ripen. If they persist, the berries take on a lilac hue. The vinification promises sparkling, aromatic and elegant sweet whites, or dry whites. Altesse is a grape variety to be carefully maintained against acariosis and erinosis.
Geneva, at the western end of Lac Léman (Lake Geneva), is the second-largest city in Switzerland and the country's third-largest wine producing canton after Valais and Vaud. Although not famously associated with wine, the city and its environs are home to numerous Vineyards and wineries, some within just a few miles of the Center. At 1,400 hectares (3,500 acres), Geneva accounts for 10 percent of the country's vineyard area. Gamay is the predominant variety here, with the Swiss workhorse Chasselas (often labelled "Fendant") and Pinot Noir taking second and third place respectively.