Appears in
Oxford Companion to Wine

By Jancis Robinson

Published 2006

  • About

Rèze, very rare Swiss valais white grape responsible for the sherry-like vin des glaciers. In 2005, dna profiling at san michele all’adige revealed that Rèze has parent–offspring relationships with nosiola and Groppello di Revò in Trentino and Cascarolo in Piemonte. Unexpectedly, DNA profiling in 2007 proved its presence in the Alpine Maurienne Valley and jura. Coupled with additional genetic relationships, this makes Rèze one of the main founder varieties of the Alps. In Switzerland, the area of cultivation fell from 400 ha at the beginning of the 20th century to less than 3 ha at the beginning of the 21st century because Rèze and other Valais grapes were superseded by chasselas to produce fendant.