Seyval noir

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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 (Rayon d'Or and Seibel 5656). The pair used the same two variety 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. [1]

Contents

Unlike Seyval blanc, Seyval noir is not widely planted with only a few producers cultivating the grape in the Canadian wine region of Quebec and some experimental plantings in the Jura wine region of eastern France. [1]

History and pedigree

Seyval noir and Seyval blanc (pictured) share the same parentage, making them siblings rather than one being a color mutation of the other. Close up Seyval blanc grape and leaf.png
Seyval noir and Seyval blanc (pictured) share the same parentage, making them siblings rather than one being a color mutation of the other.

Seyval noir was created by French grape breeders Bertille Seyve and Victor Villard at their Saint-Vallier vineyard and nursery in the Isère department of eastern France. The grape is a crossing of two Seibel grape varieties (Rayon d'Or and Seibel 5656) produced by French grape breeder Albert Seibel. This parentage makes Seyval noir a complex hybrid, meaning that within its pedigree are genes from several Vitis species. The same crossing was used to make the white wine grape Seyval blanc, making the two varieties siblings rather than color mutations of one or the other. [1]

From its parents, Rayon d'Or (a crossing of Aramon du Gard and Seibel 405) and Seibel 5656 (a crossing of Seibel 4595 and Seibel 4199), Seyval noir has Vitis vinifera, Vitis rupestris and Vitis aestivalis genes in lineage. [2] [3]

Viticulture

Seyval noir grapes are susceptible to fungal infections from Uncinula necator (pictured) which causes powdery mildew on grapes. UncinulaNecatorOnGrapes.jpg
Seyval noir grapes are susceptible to fungal infections from Uncinula necator (pictured) which causes powdery mildew on grapes.

Seyval noir is moderately winter-hardy vine which is able to survive the cold winters and late springs of Quebec. The grape is also fairly resistant to most grape diseases but does have some susceptibility to powdery mildew. [1]

Wine regions

While Seyval noir was created in France, the grape is hardly planted here. It is not listed on the country's official registry of wine grape varieties nor is it permitted for use in any Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) wines. Some experimental plantings of the grape do exist at Domaine Ganevat in the commune of Rotalier in the Jura wine region of eastern France where it is used in a blend for a nouveau table wine. Outside France the grape is planted to a limited extent in Quebec where it used for both red and rosé wines as well as vinegar production. [1]

Synonyms

As a relatively recently created hybrid, Seyval noir does not have many synonyms with only the breeding code Seyve-Villard 5247 generally recognized. [1]

Related Research Articles

Aurore (grape) Variety of grape

Aurore is a white complex hybrid grape variety produced by Albert Seibel and used for wine production mostly in the United States and Canada. Over a long lifetime Seibel produced many complex hybrid crosses of Vitis vinifera to American grapes. It is a cross of Seibel 788 and Seibel 29.

Seyval blanc Variety of grape

Seyval blanc is a hybrid wine grape variety used to make white wines. Its vines ripen early, are productive and are suited to fairly cool climates. Seyval blanc is grown mainly in England, the United States east coast, in the Pacific Northwest (Oregon), as well as to a lesser extent in Canada. Seyval blanc was created either by Bertille Seyve, or his son-in-law Villard, as a cross of Seibel 5656 and Rayon d'Or, and was used to create the hybrid grape St. Pepin. Seyve and Villard used the same Rayon d'Or x Seibel 5656 crossing to produce the red wine grape Seyval noir.

Seibel grapes are a group of wine grape varieties which originated with the work of Albert Seibel crossing European grape with American grape species to increase disease resistance. They were planted widely in France during the 1950s but have seen decline in recent years because French wine law prohibits hybrid grapes in appellation wine. The grapes are still commonly used as blending grapes in table wine and mass commercial wines. New Zealand, England, and Canada also have plantings of Seibel grapes.

St. Pepin is a modern hybrid variety of wine grape, mostly grown in North America. It produces grapes suitable for making fruity white wines similar to Riesling or as a base for blended wines. The grapes also make a good seeded table grape for eating. It has the benefits of early ripening and when hardened properly in the fall it is winter hardy to at least −25 °F (−32 °C). As such, it best suited to growing in more northern climates.

Baco blanc Variety of grape

Baco blanc or Baco 22A is a French-American hybrid grape variety. It is a cross of Folle blanche and the Noah grape, created in 1898 by the grape breeder François Baco. Folle blanche is its Vitis vinifera parent. Noah, its other parent, is itself a cross of Vitis labrusca and Vitis riparia.

Joannes Seyve (1900–1966) was a French biochemist who often used Seibel wine grape hybrids first produced in the 1860s. He created the Chambourcin grape, a French hybrid variety that is grown extensively in the Midwest and Northeast United States. His variety Joannes-Seyve 23.416 was crossed with Gewürztraminer to produce the Traminette grape.

Vidal blanc Variety of grape

Vidal blanc is a white hybrid grape variety produced from the Vitis vinifera variety Ugni blanc and another hybrid variety, Rayon d'Or. It is a very winter-hardy variety that manages to produce high sugar levels in cold climates with moderate to high acidity.

Hybrid grape Variety of grape

Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a crossing of two or more Vitis species. This is in contrast to crossings between grape varieties of the same species, typically Vitis vinifera, the European grapevine. Hybrid grapes are also referred to as inter-specific crossings or "Modern Varieties." Due to their often excellent tolerance to powdery mildew, other fungal diseases, nematodes, and phylloxera, hybrid varieties have, to some extent, become a renewed focus for European breeding programs. The recently developed varieties, Rondo, and Regent are examples of newer hybrid grape varieties for European viticulturalists. Several North American breeding programs, such as those at Cornell and the University of Minnesota, focus exclusively on hybrid grapes, with active and successful programs, having created hundreds if not thousands of new varieties.

Plantet is a red wine grape variety that was one of the hybrid grape created by French physician and grape breeder Albert Seibel. While the exact parentage of the grape is unknown, the most popular theories has it as a cross of two Seibel grapes, Seibel 867 x Seibel 2524 with another theory speculating that Plantet's parentage was Seibel 4461 crossed with Berlandieri-Jacquez.

Villard grapes are French wine hybrid grape created by French horticulturist Bertille Seyve and his father-in-law Victor Villard. They include the dark skin 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 plant breeder 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.

Cascade is a red complex hybrid grape variety that was created by French viticulturist Albert Seibel in the early 20th century in Aubenas, Ardèche, in the Rhône Valley. It has been commercially available in North America since 1938 and has since been planted in Canada and the United States. However, in warmer climates the grape is highly susceptible to a number of grapevine viruses, which has discouraged plantings of the variety.

Landot noir is a red hybrid grape variety that is a crossing of Landal and Villard blanc. Created after a series of trials between 1929-1949, the grape was introduced to Canada and the United States in the 1950s and today can be found in Quebec as well as New Hampshire where a varietal is produced by Jewell Towne Vineyards.

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 list 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.

Cabernet blanc is a white German and Swiss wine grape variety that is a crossing of the French wine grape Cabernet Sauvignon and an unknown hybrid grape variety. The grape was bred by Swiss grape breeder Valentin Blattner in 1991. Cabernet blanc has strong resistance to most grape disease including botrytis bunch rot, downy and powdery mildew and tends to produce loose clusters of small, thick-skinned grape berries which can hang on the vine late into the harvest season to produce dessert wines. Today the grape is found primarily in the Palatinate wine region of Germany with some experimental plantings in Spain and the Netherlands. In France, in the Languedoc, Domaine La Colombette is heavily investing in PIWI grapes. Amongst others the Cabernet Blanc in their cuvée "Au Creux du Nid", is gaining wide acclaim.

Valentin Blattner

Valentin Blattner is a Swiss grape geneticist, grape breeder and winemaker of the Jura Mountains. Blattner has conducted very important research into finding disease-resistant grapes in viniculture since the 1980s, and is best known for developing Cabernet blanc in his Soyhières nursery in 1991. He crossed varieties of vinifera with other subspecies, which have since become known as "Blattners". In making his wines, he relies on traditional field breeding techniques. He has a position at the Institute of Ecology and Grape Breeding in Switzerland.

Muscat bleu Variety of grape

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.

LAcadie blanc 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 6 J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours pg 991 Allen Lane 2012 ISBN   978-1-846-14446-2
  2. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Rayon d'Or Accessed: May 27th, 2013
  3. Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) Seibel 5656 Accessed: May 27th, 2013