Chasselas, even if by no means the most revered white grape variety, is widely planted under dozens of names around the world and has a particularly long, intriguing history. dna profiling suggests its origins lie in French switzerland, where it certainly produces its finest wines today, often called Fendant, its common synonym in the Valais. Chasselas is still Switzerland’s most planted white wine grape and is particularly common in the canton of Vaud, where over half of the total of more than 4,000 ha/10,000 acres are grown. Individual villages all over French Switzerland but particularly on the northern bank of Lac Léman have won acclaim for their terroir-specific interpretations of what can be a relatively neutral grape.
