Weird White Chestnut

I received an email from Ron Irvine, owner of Vashon Winery, in regards to my article two weeks ago about unique Puget Sound whites. He had this little nugget about Chasselas, the international grape of fondue:

I had a woman call the winery wanting to purchase the Chasselas Dore for a fondue dinner. She was quite excited to know that she didn't have to go to Switzerland to get the wine. Did you know that Chasselas may be one of the oldest grapes known to mankind? It is usually differentiated as Vitis vinifera orientalis (or occidental), I forget. But it is thought to have emanated from the Lebanon Valley or Eygpt. It is also one of the most planted grapes in France, and is similar to our Thompson Seedless as it is used as a table grape there.