Grape Variety: Colombard

Colour:

White

Colombard is a white wine variety that is used extensively in the Charentes region of South Western France, mainly for material to be distilled for Cognac. But it has a wider role in South West France where it is often used for blended wines. It is also quite popular in California and South Africa.

Wherever it grows Colombard has similar very fruity and aromatic characteristics. Longer and slower cool fermentations allow this grape to retain its zingy fruitiness. Most Colombards are very aromatic; in France, where they tend to blended with Ugni Blanc, another Gascon variety, they rarely produce wines over 11.5%. They are best consumed young when they display some citrus zest to counterbalance the peardrop aromas derived from cool fermentation techniques. Producteurs Plaimont make many fine wines containing Colombard including one of our de facto house blends: Le Lesc, Vin de Pays du Gers,a light, crisp, refreshing white bristling with pithy intent with flavours of gooseberry, grapefruit and fresh-cut-grass.

Colombard is extensively planted in Australia - being blended often with Chardonnay - see our Colombard-Chardonnay from Copeland Estate which has plenty of grassy grapiness on the nose, although the palate has less zest and is a touch drier than you might expect. Colombard is popular in cheap South African blends and there are several surprisingly good old vines examples (yes, really) in California.

These are obviously aperitif wines and could also be guzzled down happily with all manner of shellfish. Mine’s a pint of prawns, guv!