Wines made from Folle blanche grapes of El Pais Vasco
Discover the best wines made with Folle blanche as a single variety or as a blend of El Pais Vasco.
As its name suggests, the folle blanche is a white grape variety. Originally from the west of France, it was used to make Cognac and Armagnac brandies as early as the 17th century and was renowned for its finesse and fragrant nose. Replaced by Ugni Blanc following the phylloxera invasion, the folle blanche is now grown in small quantities. It is a grape variety with juicy, sweet, medium-sized bunches and berries with a white/green skin. Its worst enemy is grey rot. As it is an early variety and its buds come out early, it is particularly afraid of spring frosts. It likes short pruning, a method that limits the production of grapes but increases their quality. It also prefers mineral-rich soils, and its vineyards cover about 3,000 hectares. It is used in the production of the AOC Gros-plant du Pays nantais to produce a lively white wine with little alcohol but marked acidity.
El Pais Vasco (officially La Comunidad Autonoma del País Vasco) is a fiercely independent region on the northern coast of Spain, near the Pyrenees and the border with France. In Basque, the region is called Euskadi, but to most English speakers it is referred to as the Basque Country. The Cantabrian Mountains form its western boundary, while the famous wine region of La RiojaLies to the South. Despite this, the region is not Particularly well known for its wine, although a group of determined producers have Long fought for recognition.
Emmanuelle Verset is the sixth generation to make wine in her family, and represents the E in Domaine A&E Verset. The A is for Alain, her father. She took over from him in 2016 at the age of 24, and is one of the few female winemakers in Cornas. The Verset name runs deep in this part of the Rhône. You might have heard of Noël Verset (1919 – 2015), whose bottles are highly sought-after today – Noël was Alain’s uncle. Scroll down to see Matt Walls tasting notes and scores for six Domaine A& ...
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