Persan (grape)

[1] While the name hints at a Persian origins for the grape, it is most likely native to the Rhône-Alpes region with the name "Persan" being a corruption of the synonym "Princens" which is also the name of a small hamlet by Saint-Jean-de-Maurienne in Savoie which has been noted since the 17th century for the quality of its vineyards.

Another theory that Master of Wine Jancis Robinson puts forth is that the name Persan is a corruption of Princens which combined two words from the local dialect meaning prin (or prime) and cens (a fee due to landowners from their vassals).

There have been some efforts to revive the variety with Michel Grisard of Domaine Prieuré St-Christophe in Fréterive increasing his planting to make a varietal style of the grape.

[2] Due to the similarities in synonyms it was long thought that Persan was the same grape as Étraire de la Dui which is also found in the Savoie wine region.

Over 100 years later, DNA testing conducted by Swiss geneticist José Vouillamoz "strongly suggested" that there was, indeed, a parent-offspring link between Persan and Étraire de la Dui but in what direction (i.e. who is the parent and who is the offspring) is not yet known.