Ribier (grape)

Brun Fourca is a red French wine grape variety that once grew widely throughout Provence and Southwest France but is now limited to small plantings within the Palette Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC).

The name Brun Fourca comes from the colour of the stems brun (or brown) and the characteristic "forked" (fourche) shape of the clusters with shoulder or "wing" branch of the cluster being of pronounced size and length in contrast to the main bunch stem. The first written mention of Brun Fourca was in a 1772 document where the name was used as a synonym for Pinot noir. Provençal records from 1783-1784 mention actual Brun Fourca planted in the communes of Aubagne and Aix-en-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône department.

Brun Fourca is a mid-ripening variety that is highly prone to powdery mildew and botrytis rot. The vine produces small "forked" clusters of very large berries that easily fall off the rachis when the grapes are fully ripe.

While the grape was historically grown throughout the Provence, South West France and Languedoc wine regions, today it is nearly extinct with less than 2.5 acres (1 hectare) of the variety recorded in France in 2006. What is left is found almost entirely within the Palette AOC where two estates, Château Simone and Château Crémade, claim to still be using the grape in their red and rosé blends with Cinsault, Grenache and Mourvedre.

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