This is what good wine from the Romorantin grape tastes like

Romorantin is a relatively unknown French grape from the Loire. It produces crisp white wines. Not an easy grape for the winemaker. If the Romorantin is not ripe enough, it yields very tight wines that are quite high in acidity. But in the hands of a talented winemaker, you can find a very exciting wine in your glass.

The Romorantin actually grows only in the Loire Valley, in Touraine to be precise. There it has its own appellation: Cour Cheverny. The Romorantin is likely the result of a spontaneous cross between Pinot Noir or Pinot Teinturier and Gouais Blanc. That must have happened quite some time ago, as the Romorantin was already known in the Loire by the late nineteenth century.

It is unclear how the Romorantin ended up in the Loire. There is a story that the French King François I – who indeed had a house here – had the Romorantin planted in the Loire in the sixteenth century. He is said to have brought the vines from Burgundy. A nice story, of course. Unfortunately, there is no one who can prove it.