The Winery Morimoto of Arroyo Grande Valley of California

Discover the grape variety: Folle blanche

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.