This is a varietal grape that is grown all over the world. It has been a very popular cash crop in both Australia and South Africa for over a century. It was once known as the most popular wine grape in the world. It was grown everywhere and it was drunk as a single variety or as a varietal component in all kinds of different wine blends. It is used to be called the “industrial grape” because it was used in so many different things from sparkling wines to port to ice wines.
In the early part of the last century, the Semillon used to cover ninety percent of the South African vineyards and over 75 of the vineyards in Chile. It is no longer that popular and in both countries the production of this so called “industrial” grape is down to less than 1 .
Chile is the largest producer of the Semillon in the world today even though the crop has dropped 74 in the last century, due to the popularity of other varietals such as Roussanne (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Roussanne/). Part of the reason for the drop is that wine growers began to regulate it as it was choking out other kinds of vines. Heritage grapes were being lost so many of the vines were pulled up by the mid century of the 1900s so that the Semillion grape variety would not take over vineyards entirely.
The Semillon grape plant is very hardy and produces six to eight tons of grapes per acre. You don’t need a lot of these plants to produce a full crop. It is a pink grape with a thick skin that does best in hilly areas with sunny days and cool nights. The best Semillon grapes are those that are grown in coastal areas as it helps to make this naturally oily and alkaline grape more acidic.
This is an oily grape without much acidity. It is used to make Bordeaux wines in France and is essential to the product of sweeter wines like Sauternes. It is often blended with Sauvignon Blanc and Muscat. As a dry white wine it is commonly known as a Bordeaux Blanc. The acid and sugar in these wines is very complex.
The grape is also popular in Australia where it is nicknamed Hunter River Reisling. The Australian Semillon (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Semillon/) single variety wines are known for their buttercup yellow color and flavors of honey, fig, lemon, saffron, pear, bell peppers and asparagus. If it is aged in oak barrels it can also have aromas of vanilla, oak, smoke or toast.
The grape is also still grown in Chile and Africa. It is also grown in Argentina, New Zealand and in California in the U.S. However the grape grown in these places is considered to be too weak to really be sold on its own. Mostly it is grown to blend with Sauvignon Blanc (http://www.wineaccess.com/wine/grape/Sauvignon 20Blanc/).
The Semillon grape also makes many premium ice wine including the famous d’Y’Quem which gets rave reviews from all of the critics. Y’Quem can be found in liquor stores world wide and it is also not that expensive.
Sarah Martin is a freelance marketing writer based out of San Diego, CA. She specializes in international cuisine and fine wine varietals such as Semillon and Roussanne. For more varietals, please visit http://www.wineaccess.com/.
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