1. responsible editor of VINUM french
Chasselas: an history
Alexandre Truffer
Wine journalist and
responsible editor of VINUM french

2. Chasselas in the world Estimated 38 000 hectars in the world
Roumania: ha
Hungary: ha
Switzerland: 3800 ha
France: 2600 ha
Germany: 1150 ha
Rest of the world: Chili, Canada, USA, Russia, Canada, Albania, Turkey, Mexico, Ukraine, New-Zéland, Slovaquia: ~ 8500 ha

3. Chasselas used for wine
Hungary: ~7500 ha (mostly in blends)
Switzerland: 3800 ha
Germany: 1150 ha
France: 250 ha
Rest of the world: ~100 ha

4. Chasselas in Switzerland

5. Chasselas in Switzerland

6. Chasselas in Switzerland
2016: 3789 ha cultivated for wine
Vaud: 2278 ha
Valais: 914 ha (under the name Fendant)
Geneva: 300 ha
Neuchâtel: 168 ha
Rest of Switzerland: 129 ha (under the name Gutedel in german-speaking régions)

7. Chasselas in Switzerland

8. History of Chasselas A lot of legends (all wrong)
A DNA study (by Dr José Vouillamoz)
An craddle: Geneva Lake
Lausanne as a the main center of Chasselas
An early diffusion in Germany (where the grape is known as Gutedel)
The conquest of France (17th century)
A worldwide diffusion (european immigration of 19th and 20th century)

9. 2007: Lavaux in UNESCO patrimony

10. Legends I
Chasselas come from a domesticated vitis sylvestris of Valais (no DNA match)
Chasselas come from Fayoum oasis in Egypt (DNA shows no family link)
Chassela come from Istambul and was sent to king of France François I (no written testimony and no family link with turkish grapes)

11. Legends II
Chasselas come from the village of Chasselas in Burgundy (first Chasselas recorded there was planted in 2016)
Chasselas come from Cahors, in south of France, and was planted in 1531 in Paris ( the treille du roy – a vine in Fontainebleau castle – was planted 150 years later at the best)

12. DNA study I « Etude historico-génétique de l’origine du
Chasselas» study of Dr José Vouillamoz (2009)
510 grapes tested from all over Europe
No closeness to anything far away of the Alps
Close links with alpines grapes: nebbiolo (Piémont), lagrein (Alto Adige), petite arvine (Valais), altesse (Savoie), bondola (Ticino), completer (Graubunden)

13. Chasselas in the old texts
1539: Kreütter Buch (Hieronymus Bock) mention the name Edelrauben, one of the german name of Chasselas
1612: Historia Plantarum Universalis (Jehan Bauhin) describe 3 types of «fendant» or «luzannois»
1654: Les délices de la campagne (Nicolas de Bonnefons) use for the first time the word chasselas to describe a grape

14. Chasselas

15. DNA + history Early mention in Germany and around Geneva Lake
«Luzannois» and «lausannois» are some of the oldest names of the grape
DNA shows an alpine origine
Bishop of Lausanne and count of Savoie were big wine producers
Chasselas originated around the Geneva Lake (but no one knows on which side)

16. No one knows on which side…

17. From the lake to the world
End of Middle Age (~12th to 14th century), chasselas settle in the north of actual Switzerland and the south of Germany
17th century: Chasselas travel to Paris and France in general. At some point the village of Chasselas will give him his name for reasons yet to discover.
19th century: immigrants from Switzerland, Germany and Savoie plant him all over the world

18. Chasselas/Fendant/Gutedel
Chasselas, fendant are Gutedel (in german) are widely used to the 19th century
Valais start to Plant chasselas in the middle of 19th century
Valais protect Fendant as an appellation (1946)/others swiss region use a village or a regional appellation

19. Mondial du Chasselas

20. Mondial du Chasselas First edition in 2017 in Aigle (VD)
Apart giving medals, Mondial du Chasselas work for the recognition of the grape
A website presenting hundreds of articles on chasselas:
A network to find the lost chasselas of the world and attract them to Aigle
Rare chasselas found in USA, Canada, Mexico, Chile

21. Terra Incognita
Chasselas of the east (Roumania, Hungary, Russia, Ukraine)
Chasselas in Chili known as Corinto in the Bío-Bío region (estimations goes from 150 to 400 ha)
Chasselas in Oceania

22. Everything ends with a chasselas