Seyval noir is a red

hybrid Hybrid may refer to: Science * Hybrid (biology), an offspring resulting from cross-breeding ** Hybrid grape, grape varieties produced by cross-breeding two ''Vitis'' species ** Hybridity, the property of a hybrid plant which is a union of two diff ...

grape variety This list of grape varieties includes cultivated grapes, whether used for wine, or eating as a table grape, fresh or dried (raisin, currant, sultana). For a complete list of all grape species including those unimportant to agriculture, see Vit ...

that was created in the late 19th century by French horticulturalist Bertille Seyve and his father-in-law

Victor Villard The name Victor or Viktor may refer to: * Victor (name), including a list of people with the given name, mononym, or surname Arts and entertainment Film * ''Victor'' (1951 film), a French drama film * ''Victor'' (1993 film), a French shor ...

from a crossing of two

Seibel grape 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 ...

s ( Rayon d'Or and Seibel 5656). The pair used the same two variety to create the white wine grape

Seyval blanc Seyval blanc (or Seyve-Villard hybrid number 5276winepros.com.au ) 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,win ...

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.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 Unlike Seyval blanc, Seyval noir is not widely planted with only a few producers cultivating the grape in the

Canadian wine Canadian wine is wine produced in Canada. Ontario and British Columbia are the two largest wine-producing provinces in Canada, with two-thirds of the Canada's vineyard acreage situated in Ontario. However, wine producing regions are also present i ...

region of

Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Government of Canada, Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is ...

and some experimental plantings in the

Jura wine Jura may refer to: Places *Jura, Scotland, island of the Inner Hebrides off Great Britain * Jūra, river in Lithuania Mountain ranges *Jura Mountains, on the French–Swiss–German border * Franconian Jura, south-central Germany *Swabian Jura, ...

region of eastern France.

History and pedigree

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 Albert Seibel (1844–1936) was a French physician and viticulturist who made hybrid crosses of European wine grapes (''Vitis vinifera'') with native North American grapes. His crosses are known as Seibel grapes. Biography Seibel was born in Auben ...

. This parentage makes Seyval noir a

complex hybrid In biology, a hybrid is the offspring resulting from combining the qualities of two organisms of different breeds, varieties, species or genera through sexual reproduction. Hybrids are not always intermediates between their parents (such as i ...

, meaning that within its pedigree are genes from several ''

Vitis ''Vitis'' (grapevine) is a genus of 79 accepted species of vining plants in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The genus is made up of species predominantly from the Northern Hemisphere. It is economically important as the source of grapes, ...

'' 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. 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 vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...

Vitis rupestris ''Vitis rupestris'' is a species of grape native to the United States that is known by many common names including July, Coon, sand, sugar, beach, bush, currant, ingar, rock, and mountain grape. It is used for breeding several French-American hy ...

'' and '' Vitis aestivalis'' genes in lineage.

Vitis International Variety Catalogue The Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) is a database of various species and varieties/cultivars of grapevine, the genus ''Vitis''. VIVC is administered by the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding (''Institut für Rebenzüchtung G ...

(VIVC)
Rayon d'Or
' Accessed: May 27th, 2013

(VIVC)
Seibel 5656
' Accessed: May 27th, 2013

Viticulture

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 disease This is a list of diseases of grapes (''Vitis'' spp.). Bacterial diseases Fungal diseases Miscellaneous diseases and disorders Nematodes, parasitic Phytoplasma, virus and viruslike diseases See also *'' Ampeloglypter ater'' *'' Am ...

s but does have some susceptibility to powdery mildew.

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 An appellation is a legally defined and protected geographical indication primarily used to identify where the grapes for a wine were grown, although other types of food often have appellations as well. Restrictions other than geographical bo ...

'' (AOC) wines. Some experimental plantings of the grape do exist at

Domaine Ganevat An estate is a large parcel of land under single ownership, which would historically generate income for its owner. British context In the UK, historically an estate comprises the houses, outbuildings, supporting farmland, and woods that s ...

in the commune of

Rotalier Rotalier () is a commune in the Jura department in the region of Bourgogne-Franche-Comté in eastern France. Population See also *Communes of the Jura department The following is a list of the 494 communes of the Jura department of Franc ...

in the Jura wine region of eastern France where it is used in a blend for a '' nouveau''

table wine Table wine (rarely abbreviated TW) is a wine term with two different meanings: a style of wine and a quality level within wine classification. In the United States, the term primarily designates a wine style: an ordinary wine which is not fortif ...

. Outside France the grape is planted to a limited extent in Quebec where it used for both red and ''

rosé A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the skin contact metho ...

'' wines as well as

vinegar Vinegar is an aqueous solution of acetic acid and trace compounds that may include flavorings. Vinegar typically contains 5–8% acetic acid by volume. Usually, the acetic acid is produced by a double fermentation, converting simple sugars to ...

production.

Synonyms

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

References

{{Hybrid grape varieties Red wine grape varieties Hybrid grape varieties