🍇 Seyval Blanc

Seyval Blanc is a white wine grape bred in France by Bertille Seyve-Villard. The VIVC grape catalogue classes it as an interspecific cross, that is, a hybrid of the European vine with other Vitis species. Its breeding number is Seyve-Villard 5276, and its 11 synonyms include Seyval and Fresco.

The breeder himself recorded the parents as Seibel 5656 and Seibel 4986, but according to VIVC, DNA marker analysis points to Seibel 5656 × Rayon d'Or. The catalogue also notes genes for resistance to downy and powdery mildew. More than 40 grapes descend from Seyval, among them Cayuga White, Chardonel and Souvignier gris.

In its homeland the grape has almost disappeared: France had 1,309 ha in 1958 and only 111 ha in 2008. It has taken root in cool places instead. The Canadian province of Ontario counted 481 ha in 1991, and the United Kingdom had 90 ha in 2009.

In England, Seyval Blanc is listed in the rules for English Regional (PGI) wine, both still and sparkling. It is absent from the English Wine (PDO) list: PDO sparkling wine may be made only from Chardonnay and Pinot-family grapes, and hybrids are not allowed.

Why it matters to you. English sparkling wine from Seyval is sold as regional wine, not as a wine with a designation of origin, and the label shows this. If a grape is named on a bottle of EU wine, it makes up at least 85 % of it. Like most whites, Seyval Blanc is served at 4–10 °C.