White grape variety
Jacquère
Savoie’s most planted white: light, low-alcohol and sharply fresh.
What is Jacquère?
Jacquère produces very light Alpine white at around 10–11% alcohol, made for drinking with mountain cheese. It is refreshing rather than complex, and none the worse for it.
The Vitis International Variety Catalogue, maintained by the Julius Kühn Institute, holds this variety as accession 5604 under the prime name JACQUERE, with berry skin colour blanc and country of origin france, and the pedigree "HEUNISCH WEISS X ?". Checked 2026-08-17.
What it tastes like
This is the envelope across every expression of Jacquère, not a description of one bottle. Wide ranges are the honest answer.
| Dimension | Typical | Range | Variation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sweetness | low | Consistent | |
| Acidity | high | Some variation | |
| Alcohol | low-medium | Some variation | |
| Body | low | Some variation | |
| Fruit intensity | low-medium | Some variation | |
| Aromatic intensity | low-medium | Some variation | |
| Oak influence | low | Consistent | |
| Savoury character | low-medium | Consistent | |
| Floral character | low | Consistent | |
| Herbal / green character | low | Consistent | |
| Spice | low | Consistent | |
| Earthy character | low | Consistent | |
| Perceived freshness | high | Some variation | |
| Texture | medium | Consistent |
Common flavours
Wines made from it
The same grape in different places and different hands. These are where the wide ranges above resolve into something specific.
Where it grows
- Savoie — France
If you like Jacquère, try…
Every suggestion says why it is connected and what will be different.
Closest matches
What is most like this?
Alpine white
Both are made from jacquère, and the structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, both come from the same country.
Expect it to be more oaky, and fuller and richer.
Colombard
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more aromatic.
Melon de Bourgogne
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect it to be more sparkling, and fuller and richer.
Similar but lighter
Something like this, but lighter?
Nothing in WineHQ's catalogue makes this move meaningfully from here. These are the closest wines otherwise, but do not expect them to deliver what you asked for — the honest answer is that this style does not have a good neighbour in that direction.
Kabinett
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more aromatic, and more floral.
Mosel Riesling
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect it to be sweeter, and more aromatic.
Hondarrabi Zuri
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more sparkling, and stronger and warmer.
Similar but lower in alcohol
Something like this, but less alcoholic?
Hunter Valley Semillon
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more savoury, and fuller and richer.
Kabinett
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be more aromatic, and more floral.
Mosel Riesling
They occupy similar territory for weight and structure.
Expect it to be sweeter, and more aromatic.
Similar but fuller
Something like this, but richer?
Altesse
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more aromatic.
Jura Savagnin and Chardonnay
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin, and both come from the same country.
Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more savoury.
Ribolla Gialla
The structural profile is close across body, acidity and tannin.
Expect it to be fuller and richer, and more aromatic.
What to eat with it
Ranked by WineHQ's pairing engine, which reasons from the structure of the dish.
White fish
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Cod
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Fresh cheese
Works because a heavy wine would bury a delicate dish.
Mozzarella
Works because the dish is acidic, and a lower-acid wine would taste flat beside it.
Sea bass
Works because low tannin avoids the metallic interaction with fish.
Tortilla española
Works because the dish is rich, and acidity cuts through fat and refreshes the palate.
How to serve it
Temperature
8–11°C
46–52°F · Fridge cold
From a 20°C room, roughly two to three hours in the fridge, or about 20 minutes in a bucket of ice and water.
Decanting
No need to decant
Nothing about this wine suggests it needs decanting. Light, aromatic and sparkling wines generally lose more than they gain.
Glass
Universal wine glass
A medium tulip-shaped glass handles almost everything well. If you own one set of glasses, this is the set to own — the difference between a good universal glass and a grape-specific one is far smaller than the difference between a good glass and a bad one.
Ageing
Wines made from this grape are generally at their best within a few years.
Savoie’s most planted white, light and low in alcohol, made for drinking in the year of release. Its appeal is transparency and freshness, neither of which survives keeping.
Family tree
Established by DNA analysis. Ampelography alone could not have found these relationships.
Parents
VIVC gives one established parent, Heunisch Weiss, with the other unknown.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) — Julius Kühn-Institut, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof