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Bel chas

Overview

Bel‑Chas shows up in Quebec nursery lists as a hardy, golden‑skinned table grape that some growers also ferment into white wine. A Canadian retailer describes it as a vigorous “yellow table grape/white wine grape” with mid‑season maturity, while noting female flowers that need a nearby hermaphrodite for pollination. (bambooplants.ca) Another Quebec seller simply calls it a “sélection vigoureuse” used both “comme raisin de table ou pour le vin,” listing USDA Zone 3, end‑of‑August harvest, and strong disease resistance. (enracines.ca) A third Quebec nursery places it at Zone 3b with mid‑September harvests and even colder claims. (pepinierelarefriche.ca) In practice, Bel‑Chas seems rooted in eastern Canada (Chaudière‑Appalaches, QC) and sold across ON–QC–NB–NS–PE by mail‑order nurseries, with winery context provided by Vignoble Domaine Bel‑Chas in Saint‑Charles‑de‑Bellechasse. (bambooplants.ca)

Origin & Breeding

Terra‑Boreal attributes the selection directly to Vignoble Domaine Bel‑Chas: “sélectionnée par le Vignoble Domaine Bel‑Chas, situé à Saint‑Charles‑de‑Bellechasse” in Chaudière‑Appalaches. No pedigree, crossing year, or parentage are provided in publicly available materials. (terra-boreal.com) The estate itself is run by Marielle Béland and Louis Chassé—hence the name “Bel‑Chas”—and cultivates a dozen cold‑hardy hybrids; their wines are sold locally and online. (That name link comes from a retailer’s profile of the domaine). Editorial note: sources describe the winery name’s origin, not the grape’s pedigree. (boiteavins.com)

Climate Adaptation & Hardiness

  • A Quebec nursery lists Bel‑Chas to USDA Zone 3 and sized for small gardens, emphasizing “très résistant aux maladies.” (enracines.ca)
  • Another vendor pegs it at Zone 4b (−31.5 °C/−25 °F). (bambooplants.ca)
  • A third, working in northern Quebec, claims hardiness “jusqu’à −34 °C” (Zone ~3b). (pepinierelarefriche.ca)

These differing claims mirror the way many cold‑climate grapes behave across sites: heavy snowfall in Bellechasse is even cited by local tourism copy as protective “contre le rude climat hivernal,” which some growers in the region consider a key factor. (goexploria.com)

Phenology

  • Flowering: June, per one Canadian mail‑order listing. (bambooplants.ca)
  • Harvest timing varies in the same latitude:
  • “Fin août” (late August) in a Quebec nursery’s description. (terra-boreal.com)
  • “Mi‑septembre” (mid‑September) elsewhere. (bambooplants.ca)
  • Another seller repeats mid‑September. (pepinierelarefriche.ca)
  • A grower‑facing product page quantifies the heat requirement at “1000 degree‑days (daylight hours at 10 °C)” to reach maturity—an unusually low, Quebec‑friendly threshold as stated by that vendor. (bambooplants.ca)

The split between end‑August and mid‑September harvests is a recurring theme in Quebec listings, suggesting site, crop load, or microclimate effects.

Growth Habit

Vendors consistently call the vine vigorous: “vigorous and productive” with clusters 125–175 g and canopies reaching roughly 2.4 m in height and width (about 8×8 ft). (bambooplants.ca) A Quebec nursery offers practical spacing/trellis guidance for their cold‑hardy table grapes—rows 3–4 m apart with vines 1–2 m on the row—which is how Bel‑Chas is commonly sold and grown in backyard and farm settings there. (pepinierelarefriche.ca)

Disease & Physiological Issues

Bel‑Chas is repeatedly marketed as “très résistant aux maladies/very disease resistant,” but none of the retail sources specify relative susceptibility to particular pathogens (downy/powdery mildew, black rot, etc.) or provide comparative trial data. (terra-boreal.com) One implication for readers: Bel‑Chas’ disease reputation currently rests on nursery observations rather than published, variety‑by‑variety pathology trials in Quebec or the northeastern U.S.

Fruit Composition & Sensory Profile

  • Sensory notes: Multiple sellers describe “exceptional tropical fruit taste,” with one elaborating on “lychee and banana” as wine aromas and “very sweet” fresh fruit. Another repeats “très sucrés” for the berries. (bambooplants.ca)
  • Acidity: one source frames it as “low acidity” in wine. (bambooplants.ca)
  • Numbers: No °Brix, pH, or TA measurements are published in the sources consulted; the data gap is notable.

Winemaking Approaches

  • Use cases: Terra‑Boreal says Bel‑Chas can be used for “vin blanc, vin rosé, vin mousseux ou vin fortifié,” in addition to table use. (terra-boreal.com)
  • Local practice around the variety: Vignoble Domaine Bel‑Chas produces a range—white, rosé, sparkling rosé, and fortified—using a set of cold‑hardy hybrids grown on site; retailer notes for their Rouge detail stainless fermentations, cold soaks, and controlled MLF. While the red blends listed there don’t mention Bel‑Chas (it appears to be principally a table/white option), they show the cellar style the estate uses with its cold‑hardy fruit. (vineyards.com)

Example Styles & Uses

  • Table fruit: A TripAdvisor visitor who tasted on site in September 2020 singled out “leurs raisins de table du Québec… particulièrement excellents,” aligning with nurseries’ emphasis on fresh eating. (tripadvisor.com)
  • Estate wines around the selection: Retailers list Domaine Bel‑Chas wines in white, rosé, sparkling rosé, and fortified categories; their red bottlings list Frontenac, Radisson, Marquette, Petite Pearl, and Maréchal Foch. (vineyards.com)
  • Vendor tasting language: “tropical fruit,” “lychee and banana” for wines made from Bel‑Chas and “very sweet” as a table grape appear repeatedly in Canadian product pages. (bambooplants.ca)

Open Questions & Conflicting Reports

  • Flower sex and pollination: one seller is explicit—“flowers are strictly female,” requiring a nearby hermaphrodite—while a Zone‑3b nursery’s general page states “All our vines are self‑fertilizing.” Readers will notice the contradiction; site‑specific observations or clone confusion may be at play. (bambooplants.ca)
  • Hardiness spread: listings span Zone 3/3b with claims to −34 °C, to a more conservative Zone 4b—differences that growers in snowy Bellechasse sometimes attribute to winter snow cover and microclimate. (pepinierelarefriche.ca)
  • Season: end‑August versus mid‑September harvest windows are both published in Quebec for the same name, hinting at site and crop effects or multiple selections circulating under similar names (“Bel‑Chas” vs “Bel‑Chasse” appears in catalogs). (terra-boreal.com)
  • Pedigree and data: no public breeder records, parentage, °Brix/pH/TA datasets, or university trial notes surfaced in search. Nurseries and the originating estate are the primary voices so far. (terra-boreal.com)

References

  • BambooPlants (Ontario nursery). Vitis ‘Bel‑Chas’ product page: mid‑season, 1000 degree‑days, female flowers, Zone 4b, lychee/banana notes. https://bambooplants.ca/product/yellow-table-grape-vitis-bel-chas/ (bambooplants.ca)
  • Enracinés (QC nursery). Vigne à raisins Bel‑Chasse—Zone 3, late‑August harvest, “très résistant aux maladies,” table or wine use. https://enracines.ca/products/vigne-a-raisins-bel-chasse-vitis-bel-chasse (enracines.ca)
  • Pépinière la Réfriche (QC nursery). Table grape set including Bel‑chas: hardy to −34 °C, mid‑September harvest; general notes on self‑fertility and spacing. https://pepinierelarefriche.ca/en/products/table-grape-vine (pepinierelarefriche.ca)
  • Terra‑Boreal (QC nursery). “Bel‑Chas Vigne de table”—selection attributed to Vignoble Domaine Bel‑Chas; description of golden, thick‑skinned fruit and uses from table to sparkling/fortified. https://terra-boreal.com/produit/bel-chas-vigne-de-table/ (terra-boreal.com)
  • Vignoble Domaine Bel‑Chas (vineyard listings and profiles). Winery info, varieties grown, wines produced, and nursery greenhouse for cuttings. https://vineyards.com/vignoble-domaine-bel-chas; https://www.goexploria.com/company/146863/vignoble-domaine-bel-chas; tourism profiles. (vineyards.com)
  • La Boîte à Vins retailer page. Profile of Domaine Bel‑Chas (owners’ names; range of wines) and individual wine listings. https://boiteavins.com/collections/domaine-bel-chas (boiteavins.com)
  • Le Cinqàsept wine shop. “Rouge Bel‑Chas” technical notes (cold maceration, stainless, controlled MLF) and blend composition (Frontenac, Radisson, Marquette, M. Foch, Petite Pearl). https://lecinqasept.ca/products/le-vin-rouge (lecinqasept.ca)
  • TripAdvisor traveler review (Sept 2020 tasting). Note on the estate’s table grapes being “particulièrement excellents.” https://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g8398209-d8391087-Reviews-Vignoble_Domaine_Bel_Chas-Saint_Charles_de_Bellechasse_Chaudiere_Appalaches_Queb.html (tripadvisor.com)

Editor’s note on gaps: No VIVC entry, breeding paper, or university extension sheet specific to Bel‑Chas surfaced during searches; most information comes from Quebec nurseries and local winery/retailer pages. If you’ve trialed Bel‑Chas in New England or the Maritimes and have Brix/TA logs or pruning/trellis notes, those field details would meaningfully add to this evolving story.