Wine · Grape variety · Short entry
Folle blanche
A western French white grape, probably from the Charentes. Its low-alcohol, acidic wines can provide a base for distillation when fruit condition is sound.
Origins and the vine
The catalogue places Folle blanche in western France and suggests a Charentes origin and Gouais blanc ancestry. It is fertile, upright and productive, allowing short pruning with limited support. Early budding exposes it to spring frost.
From grape to wine
Its medium bunches are very compact, contributing to strong grey-rot susceptibility. Pl@ntGrape describes fresh, acidic, relatively low-alcohol wines and notes that acidity can fall at full maturity in southern conditions. Sound fruit can produce high-quality distilling wine; the grape’s identity alone does not establish a spirit’s legal origin.