Graisse is a white French wine

French wine

French wine is produced in several regions throughout France, in quantities between 50 and 60 million hectolitres per year, or 7–8 billion bottles. France has the world's second-largest total vineyard area, behind Spain, and is in the position of being the world's largest wine producer...

 grape variety that is grown primarily in the Armagnac region of western France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 where the grape is used for both wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

 production and distillation

Distillation

Distillation is a method of separating mixtures based on differences in volatilities of components in a boiling liquid mixture. Distillation is a unit operation, or a physical separation process, and not a chemical reaction....

. The pulp of the grape is characterized by its high viscosity

Viscosity

Viscosity is a measure of the resistance of a fluid which is being deformed by either shear or tensile stress. In everyday terms , viscosity is "thickness" or "internal friction". Thus, water is "thin", having a lower viscosity, while honey is "thick", having a higher viscosity...

 levels which can create some difficulties in winemaking

Winemaking

Winemaking, or vinification, is the production of wine, starting with selection of the grapes or other produce and ending with bottling the finished wine. Although most wine is made from grapes, it may also be made from other fruit or non-toxic plant material...

 to produce a wine that expert Jancis Robinson

Jancis Robinson

Jancis Mary Robinson OBE, MW is a British wine critic, journalist and editor of wine literature. She currently writes a weekly column for the Financial Times, and writes for her website jancisrobinson.com...

describes as being of average to low quality. In recent years, plantings of Graisse has been steadily declining.

Synonyms

Various synonyms have been used to describe Graisse and its wines including Blanquette, Blanquette grise, Cargo saoumo, Cargo saumo, Chalosse, Cholosse, Clairette égreneuse, Cotiblanc, Cotilblanc, Gras, Gras blanc, Grecho, Gros blanc, Jalosse, Mendic, Plant de graisse, Plant de Grecho, Plant de Mun, Président, Ramassaou blanc, Ramassou blanc, Taloche, Tizourine bou-aferara blanc and Tizourine bou-afrara.