WHAT IS SÉMILLON?

Sémillon is a white grape native to the Bordeaux region. It has a thin skin, and is susceptible to botrytis (what is botrytis?), which makes it perfect to make sweet wines, which are famously made in the French regions of Sauternes and Barsac.

WHAT DOES IT TASTE LIKE?

Younger Sémillon exhibits citrus flavors of lemon, lime or green apple. Others sometimes have a tinge of grass notes. Older Sémillon, especially the bottle-aged Hunter Sémillon from Australia have burnt toast or honey characteristics on the nose with complex flavors of honey and white floral notes.

WHERE DOES IT GROW?

Sémillon was once considered to be the most planted grape in the world, although this is no longer the case.

It first arrived in Australia in the 19th century, and by 1820, the grape covered over 90% of South Africa’s vineyards, where it was known as Wyndruif. Today, Sémillon only accounts for 1% of South Africa’s acreage. In the 1950s, Chile’s vineyards were made up of over 75% Sémillon.

Today, Semillon mainly grows in France, Australia, and South Africa now, with small acreage in Chili, Argentina and the United States, including California, Idaho, Washington, and Texas.