Chasselas de Thomery, also known as Chasselas doré de Fontainebleau, is a Chasselas grape variety grown in the village of Thomery in the Seine-et-Marne region.
This table grape, closely related to Chasselas de Moissac, has been produced and preserved using unique, traditional local methods since 1730. The special features of this crop, located in a very northerly zone for a table grape, are based on the development of espalier vine-growing techniques on walls, and optimization of fruit ripening through very specific pruning of the vines known as "Cordon Charmeux", as well as specific methods for preserving in fruitiers the fresh bunches picked in October and marketed until May of the following year.
Chasselas de Thomery, whose production peaked at the beginning of the 20th century, was renowned and appreciated between the wars, when it was considered a luxury grape to be enjoyed throughout the winter and spring. Its cultivation and marketing declined sharply from the late 1930s onwards, and today it is only grown traditionally and ornamentally by a few private individuals in the commune.
History
Origins
Chasselas de Thomery, also known as Chasselas doré de Fontainebleau, has a secondary origin, either in the Cahors region (it is closely related to Chasselas de Moissac), or in Piedmont in Italy, although it is not yet possible to say which hypothesis prevails over the other. On the other hand, in the current state of scientific knowledge, this variety is identical to Chasselas B, whose primary origin is the region on the borders of France, Italy,(fr) Rose Charmeux (1863), . and Switzerland, probably in the geographical area known as the arc lémanique, which also includes the village of Chasselas, through which the original variety passed between the 16th and 17th centuries.(fr) Étude historico-génétique de l'origine du « Chasselas » by J.F. Vouillamoz et C. Arnold in Revue suisse Vitic. Arboric. Hor tic., Vol. 41(5):299–307, 2009 As a result, Chasselas, which has long been classified as a proles orientalis variety,(fr) Marcel Lachiver, Vins, vignes et vignerons. Histoire du vignoble français, éditions Fayard, Paris, 1988, . must now be considered a proles occidentalis, given the results of recent comparative genetic studies based on microsatellite sequence analysis of over 500 different grape varieties.
Establishment and development in Thomery
The Fontainebleau region was a vine-growing area long before the present-day viticulture of Thomery, as attested by the existence of the Pressoirs du Roy in Samoreau, built under Francis I in 1530,(fr) Les Pressoirs du Roy on the Samoreau website and the cultivation of vines along the 1,200-meter "treilles du Roi" on the south wall of the Château de Fontainebleau gardens.(fr) Michel Pons (2003), . However, vine-growing was limited to court consumption, and did not extend beyond the royal orchards.
The sandy-clay soil of alluvial origin on the By hillside, although facing east and south-east, was nevertheless chosen by François Charmeux around 1730 as the site for the first chasselas vines grown on the "treilles du Roi" in Fontainebleau.(fr) "L'histoire retrouvée du chasselas", La Dépêche du Midi, 16 May 2000. This soil, a priori unfavorable to viticulture, combined with a northerly location not conducive to sunshine, could not intrinsically produce a wine of acceptable quality. However, with the Charmeux family's improvements in grape ripening techniques, the possibility of producing a high-quality table grape was demonstrated.(fr) Jean-Baptiste Lelieur (1842), . Given the success of his small-scale production, Charmeux decided to build more high walls between 1730 and 1736. Vine-growing was initially very limited, involving only a handful of producers between 1750 and 1800, but expanded with a second wave of wall construction around 1840 and the optimization of production methods,(fr) Rose Charmeux (1863), . culminating around 1842 in Thomery's 205 hectares of walled vineyards.(fr) Jean-Baptiste Lelieur (1842), . At that time, Chasselas de Thomery was not the only grape variety grown along the walls, but also alongside the German Frankenthal grape variety from the town of the same name, which attracted consumers for the aesthetics of its bunches and growers for its ease of cultivation. Although many other trials were carried out, these were really the only two grape varieties grown on a large scale in the region. Between the walls are also developed monothematic fruit and vegetable crops, often on counter-paliers(fr) Jean-Baptiste Lelieur (1842), . (i.e. supported by rows of wire).
Cultural boom
The spread of Chasselas de Thomery cultivation was due to a second technical advance around 1850. Baptiste-Rose Charmeux perfected a new method of preserving bunches of grapes, after harvesting, in small bottles filled with water, which were then placed in a temperature-controlled grape chamber. The process was patented in 1877.(fr) Michel Pons (2003), . This method of preservation kept the grapes absolutely fresh for several months, generally until Christmas and Easter, and even until May. It was perfected in Thomery, then adopted in other regions, and used without interruption until the 1970s. Around 1880, Étienne Salomon successfully experimented with a process for preserving grapes in cold rooms at 0–2 °C (foreshadowing refrigerators), as well as with forcing in greenhouses, but these were not followed by widespread application. At the time, grapes were transported to Paris mainly by river from the small port of Thomery by the village's own inhabitants in flat-bottomed boats, called margotats, to the capital's fruit market.(fr) Michel Pons (2003), .
In 1850, Thomery, like the rest of northern France, was hit by powdery mildew, which almost led to the collapse of greenhouse and trellised vineyards in the Île-de-France region.(fr) Marcel Lachiver, Vins, vignes et vignerons. Histoire du vignoble français, Fayard editions, Paris, 1988, . From June 1852 onwards, Thomeryon winegrowers began to sulphurize the green stems, thus saving their harvests. The phylloxera attack of 1890 did not seem to affect Thomery, but the arrondissement of Fontainebleau was declared phylloxera-affected and as such could no longer send vines or shoots out of its district, which was catastrophic for the sale of Chasselas de Thomery, which was sold with a piece of shoot, leading to a major crisis among growers. Downy mildew appeared in 1885, but was quickly contained by sulfating. Weather conditions in this very northern region also led to a severe loss of production, with a particularly severe frost in the winter of 1879.
For decades in the 19th century, Chasselas de Thomery Doré was exported throughout France as a luxury product, purchased by bourgeois families in Paris, notably at Fauchon, and throughout Europe as far afield as the Russian court. In his posthumous novel Bouvard et Pécuchet (1881), written between 1872 and 1880, Gustave Flaubert most probably refers to the Chasselas de Thomery when he has Pécuchet say:"In St. Petersburg, during the winter, they pay one napoleon per bunch for grapes! It's a fine industry, you'll agree! And what does it cost? Care, manure, and ironing with a mop!!(fr) Bouvard et Pécuchet, by René Dumesnil in the Bibliothèque de la Pléiade, 1952, . Available on Wikisource.In 1900, 12 tons of grapes out of the 700 tons produced that year were sold for export. In 1912, under the impetus of Georges-François Charmeux, a railway advertising executive and descendant of the first of the name, the Compagnie du chemin de fer de Paris à Orléans decided to implement a genuine policy of popularizing cultivation techniques and promoting Chasselas. Chasselas cultivation in Thomery reached its peak, with annual production of 800 tonnes on some 150 hectares and 250 km of walls. Noting the commercial success, the neighboring communes of Veneux-les-Sablons, Moret-sur-Loing, Champagne-sur-Seine (selling its grapes under the clever name of "Champagne grapes") and even Samoreau also decided to develop Chasselas cultivation.
Decline and survival
At the start of World War II, grape growing was in decline, due to the high labor costs involved in viticulture, national competition from Chasselas de Moissac and international competition from other grape varieties (from Italy and Spain), and the French population's attraction to other types of fruit now available at the same time of year (citrus, bananas, etc.). In 1941, the SNCF ceased to offer special rates for the transport of Chasselas de Thomery. In 1947, winegrowers, who had already diversified, notably by co-cultivating peaches, were hit by a wave of a parasitic insect of the peach tree known as the "peach moth", which often dealt a fatal blow to their operations. Despite the formation of a cooperative (called Les Vergers de Thomery) in 1960, the walls were increasingly abandoned or even destroyed to make way for large gardens for country houses, and market gardening and wine-growing ceased for good in 1970.
Over the past few years, a small number of individuals and an association of Thomeryons have sought to revive this glorious past by creating a small local museum and a tour of the old Salomon greenhouses.(fr) "Restauration de serres", La République de Seine-et-Marne, 14 April 2003. Grapes are still grown by a few private individuals for heritage purposes and for local consumption in some of the surrounding restaurants. Certain walls were listed as historic monuments on 5 May 1993, in particular the entire "Chemin des Longs Sillons", as well as the orchards, walls, and adjoining and perpendicular plots,(fr) Verger dit murs à raisins ou jardins à vignes de Thomery, Mérimée Database of the Ministère de la Culture(fr) . which constitute a fine example of historic walls dating from 1730 and those from the expansion period of 1840. A pre-inventory is currently underway with a view to obtaining the "Remarkable Garden" label. In addition, wine tours are organized and signposted in the village, particularly during the Heritage Days.(fr) Chemin des Longs Sillons on the Ville de Thomery website.
In 2012, with financial support from the département and the region, the Thomery municipality decided to create a Chasselas house-museum, which should have been inaugurated in 2013.(fr) "Un musée du chasselas à Thomery en 2013", Le Parisien, 23 January 2012. The project was abandoned by the département and the region at the municipality's expense in 2016.(fr) Pascal Villebeuf, "Thomery : le projet de Maison du chasselas abandonné", Le Parisien, 1 March 2016 (read online).
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Ampelographic features The wood of Vitis vinifera variety Chasselas de Thomery is reddish, the vine shoots are thin, the average internode length is about eight centimeters, the merithalles are close together, and the buds are relatively large. Leaves are medium-sized, light green, not downy underneath, with five lobes and deeply toothed. Bunches of grapes are of variable size, usually large and elongated, with a medium berry density. Berries are round and of uneven size. The skin is a transparent light-green to golden-yellow color, turning brown on the side exposed to the sun. The pulp is light-green, gelatinous, very sweet, with one to four seeds per berry.(fr) Chasselas de Fontainebleau by Louis de Bavais in les Annales de pomologie belge et étrangère, Parent editions, Bruxelles, 1854, .
Viticulture
Soil and climate