A Romance to Remember By 01 Jul 2019 in Cover Story New Update Have I fallen in love? Definitely yes! I recently began a roaring romantic affair with Romorantin. Before my readers get excited, I have to add a small detail. The romantic sounding Romorantin I am referring to here is not a man, but a thin skinned white grape from France. You too should have an affair with Romorantin ! Romorantin is considered to be a cousin of the classical Chardonnay and Aligoté. This grape is an offspring of Gouais Blanc (which also happens to be Chardonnay’s ‘father’) and Pinot Teinturier (a mutation of Pinot Noir). But its illustrious ‘family legacy’ is not the only reason why Romorantin is important in the history of French wines or royalty. It claims its fame for its association with romantic history. History has it that this crisp grape was introduced to Loire Valley by King Francis (King Henry’s son), in the 16th century. After his first tasting of the wine from this grape, he fell in love with it. In fact, he loved the beverage so much that he ordered his army to bring back with them sizeable quantities of this wine in Loire, for his fiancée, who was fond of white wine. She lived in a castle around a lot of land in Loire where Romorantin grape was then cultivated. Romorantin became a medium of expression of love between King Francis and his fiancée. She was heartfelt with this gesture and expressed her love to him as well. After a while, other grapes started becoming more and more popular because their yield per hectare was much more than Romorantin. Centuries passed by...the wonderful grape slowly faded into obscurity. Read More You May Also like Read the Next Article