Muscat bleu

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Muscat bleu
Grape (Vitis)
Weinstock Muscat bleu.JPG
Muscat bleu. The colour changes to blue-black when ripe.
Color of berry skinNoir
Origin Peissy
Original pedigree Garnier 15-6 × Perle noire
Breeder Charles Garnier
VIVC number 16002

Muscat bleu is a red Swiss wine and table grape variety that is a hybrid of Garnier 15-6 and Perle noire. The grape was developed in Peissy in the Canton of Geneva by Swiss grape breeder Charles Garnier in the 1930s. Today the grape is used as both a table grape and for winemaking, producing wines that Master of Wine Jancis Robinson describe as "soft and grapey". Outside Switzerland, some plantings of Muscat bleu can also be found in Belgium. [1]

Contents

Pedigree

Muller-Thurgau, one of the "grand parent" varieties to Muscat bleu. Mueller-Thurgau Weinsberg 20080927.jpg
Müller-Thurgau, one of the "grand parent" varieties to Muscat bleu.

Muscat bleu is considered to be a "complex hybrid", meaning that within its lineage are grape varieties belonging to several different species of the grapevine genus, Vitis . Despite having the name Muscat, there are actually no Muscat grape varieties closely related to Muscat bleu. The grape is the result of a crossing of Garnier 15-6 and Perle noire, both varieties themselves being inter-specific crossings with complex lineages. [1]

Garnier 15-6 is a crossing of Villard noir, developed in Southwest France by Bertille Seyve and Victor Villard, and the Vitis vinifera grape Müller-Thurgau developed by Swiss grape breeder Hermann Müller. Villard noir is a crossing of the Seibel grapes Chancellor and Les Subéreux which have Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia and Vitis rupestris in their lineages. [2] Müller-Thurgau is a crossing of two vinifera varieties, Riesling and Madeleine Royale. [3]

Perle noire is a crossing of the Vitis vinifera Spanish table grape variety Teneron and Seyve-Villard 12-358 which, itself, is a complex hybrid from the Seibel grapes Les Subéreux and Seibel 6468. [4]

Viticulture

The sweet "grapey" aroma of ripe Muscat bleu grapes attracts wasps. Guepe mange raisin.jpg
The sweet "grapey" aroma of ripe Muscat bleu grapes attracts wasps.

Muscat bleu is an early ripening variety that buds midway through the budding period of the growing season. The vine produces large, loose clusters of large size berries that give off a sweet "grapey", Muscat-like aroma that can attract wasps to the vineyard. Muscat bleu has good resistance to fungal infections such as downy mildew but is susceptible to the viticultural hazards of coulure and millerandage. [1]

Wine regions

Today Muscat bleu is found in Switzerland and Belgium where it is used for both table grape and wine production. In Switzerland, the grape is a popular planting among home gardeners but as of 2009 there were at least 3 hectares (7.4 acres) of Muscat bleu dedicated to commercial wine production. [1]

Synonyms

As a relatively recently created hybrid, Muscat bleu does not have many synonyms, with only Aromato, Garnier 83/2, Muscat bleu Garnier and Muskat bleu generally recognized. [1] [5]

Related Research Articles

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Seyval blanc</span> Variety of grape

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Baco blanc</span> Variety of grape

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Vidal blanc</span> Variety of grape

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hybrid grape</span> Variety of grape

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Villard grapes are French wine hybrid grape created by French horticulturist Bertille Seyve and his father-in-law Victor Villard. They include the dark-skinned Villard noir and the white-wine variety Villard blanc with both being members of the Seyve-Villard grape family. Villard noir is a cross of two other French hybrids, Siebel 6905 and Seibel 7053 created by physician and viticulturist Albert Seibel. Like Villard noir, Villard blanc was produced as a crossing of two Seibel grapes, in this case, Le Subereux and Seibel 6468.

Couderc noir is a red wine hybrid grape that was formerly grown primarily in the South West France wine region and around the Gard département in the Languedoc-Roussillon region. The vine produces high yields and ripens late, creating a wine that is deeply colored with a distinct, earthy flavor. Couderc noir is normally used for mass commercial and table wines.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Solaris (grape)</span> Variety of grape

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ives noir</span> Variety of grape

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Ravat blanc is a white hybrid grape variety that is a crossing of Chardonnay and a Seibel grape. While the Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) maintained by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding lists Seibel 5474 as the second parent, Master of Wine Jancis Robinson notes that other authors list Seibel 8724 as the parent. The grape is often confused with the white hybrid grape Vignoles that is often called just Ravat.

Seyval noir is a red hybrid grape variety that was created in the late 19th century by French horticulturalist Bertille Seyve and his father-in-law Victor Villard from a crossing of two Seibel grapes. The pair used the same two varieties to create the white wine grape Seyval blanc, making the two siblings rather than color mutations of one or the other. The name Seyval comes from a combination of the two men's names.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Valentin Blattner</span>

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">L'Acadie blanc</span> Variety of grape

L'Acadie blanc is a white Canadian wine grape variety that is a hybrid crossing of Cascade and Seyve-Villard 14-287. The grape was created in 1953 by grape breeder Ollie A. Bradt in Niagara, Ontario at the Vineland Horticultural Research Station, which is now the Vineland Research and Innovation Centre. Today the grape is widely planted in Nova Scotia with some plantings in Quebec and Ontario. Some wine writers, including those at Appellation America, consider L'Acadie blanc as "Nova Scotia’s equivalent to Chardonnay".

Landal noir is a red hybrid grape variety that was created during a series of trials between 1929 and 1942 by French grape breeder Pierre Landot at his Conzieu nursery in the Ain department of eastern France. The grape is a crossing of two Seibel grapes, Plantet and Seibel 8216. While authorized for use in several French wine growing region, the grape is officially not recommended for use in any quality wine production in France with only 49 hectares of the variety reported in 2008. Outside France, some plantings of Landal noir can be found in Switzerland, Canada and the United States.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours pg 687 Allen Lane 2012 ISBN   978-1-846-14446-2
  2. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Villard noir Archived 2012-05-13 at the Wayback Machine Accessed: June 11th, 2013
  3. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Müller-Thurgau Archived 2014-03-17 at the Wayback Machine Accessed: June 11th, 2013
  4. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Perle noire Accessed: June 11th, 2013
  5. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Muscat bleu Accessed: June 11th, 2013