Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

  • About

Auxerrois is both a synonym for the black-berried malbec in cahors, where it is the dominant vine variety, and the name of a relatively important white-berried variety in Alsace. And as if that were not confusing enough, Auxerrois Gris is a synonym for pinot gris in Alsace, while Chardonnay, before it became so famous, was once known as Auxerrois Blanc in the Moselle—as distinct from Auxerrois de Laquenexy, which is the variety today called Auxerrois in north east France (including Alsace) and luxembourg.