Sémillon used to be the most planted white grape in the world. From its native home in France to Australia, Chile, South Africa, Argentina, and beyond, it was planted en masse to pump out large quantities of flavorless bulk white wine. The problem was that Sémillon doesn’t cooperate when it’s forced to high yields. It loses acidity and it lacks flavor unlike some other grapes that can still muster some umph when over-cropped (Chenin blanc, Sauvignon blanc, Colombard, to name three). For this reason, plantings were replaced and the grape became unpopular. Photo: Sémillon, Bordeaux.com Today it is grown in limited quantities but two distinct areas– Sauternes/Barsac and Pessac-Leognan in Bordeaux and the Hunter Valley of Australia -- create wines that are incredibly specific and unique. Demand and fascination with these iconic wines means that cultivation of this grape is not doomed! Here are the show notes: The origins of the grape Although we don’t know the parentage, we do kn...