La Petite Arvine, a grape mostly produced in Switzerland in the region of Valais.
The Petite Arvine is a white type of grape mostly produced in Valais Switzerland and Valle D’Aosta in Italy. Producers and executives from the two countries claim the fruit is theirs, so no one knows its origin Regions.
Petite Arvine Wine
Petite Arvine wines have an acidic stimulant and smell like grapefruit. When you place them in the pallet, they display some specks of salty minerals.
Petite Arvine wines are among Switzerland’s finest, according to reviewers. Petite Arvine can help with temporary cellaring, and their taste varies from dry to succulently sweet. Petite Arvine only grows in small numbers in Switzerland besides being so high quality.
Valais has been producing the grape for not less than 500 years though some scientists claim its main origin maybe Italy or Savoie in France. Researchers disagree even the source of its name Arvine – claiming it may have emerged from the direction it travelled to arrive at Switzerland, an old Roman grape type, or the word “arrived” in Latin.
It got the word petite to differentiate it from the low-quality type of Grosse Arvine. Grosse Arvine is no longer a raw material in producing wine on a large scale.
Petite Arvine flowers early and ripens late and is a little bit fussy in the winery. For it to have purely ripe grapes, it requires plenty of wind-free sunlight, and it can ripen a month after Chasselas.
Petite Arvine is susceptible to mites, mildew, bunch rot, botrytis, and does not need very dry locations. The grape’s plus points are that it is very productive and produces high-quality wines.
Foods that go well with Petite Arvine are:
- Shallow fried fish with capers and lemon
- Smoked ham terrine
- Melted raclette cheese with cornichons.
Characteristics of Petite Arvine
Smell: It has a flowery smell of wisteria or gentian and the grape emulating an exotic though subtle variety like mango, grapefruit, passion fruit, and pineapple.
Taste: A wine that is concentrated, virile, complex, and strong. The rhubarb notes usually present, though the acidity can be intense. Petite Arvine stands out due to its refined iodine-like behaviour.
You can serve it at a temperature of 8 – 10 degrees Celsius.
Extra Tip: Petite Arvine derive its name from its tiny berries. The Institute of Agricole of Valle d’Aosta imported it from Valle d’Aosta during the 1970s.
The Salty Taste of Arvine Petite
Early records show that Arvine Petite’s production was still decent, unlike the cultivation of Muscat, Humagne and Rouge. It attracted local wine producers and tasters after the second half of the 20th century because it was still viewed as small during the earlier years.
Between 1991 to 2008, the fields dedicated to Arvine Petite almost increased by four times. The new plants profited from advanced clone varieties – the plant needs a lot of attention. Several professionals like to associate Petite Arvine with “a very demanding lord.”
The grape ripens late and blossoms well on good slopes. It prefers soils that are not very fertile or too dry—samplers like it for its uniqueness and capacity to mature well. International news from Switzerland and overseas complement the qualities of this amazing white wine. Other producers who are well-known internationally have started growing Petite Arvine in Europe.
To prevent this latest grape from improper usage, the Canton of Valais and the cantonal agricultural organization are doing everything possible to get traditional ownership which could shield it like Fendant, Dole and Goron.