Albert Seibel
Encyclopedia
Albert Seibel was a French
physician
and viticulturist who made hybrid crosses of European wine
grape
s (Vitis vinifera
) with native North American grapes. His crosses are known as Seibel grapes
.
in the Ardeche in 1844.
In 1895, he founded a school to teach grafting methods.
He died in 1936.
, crossing American stock with European Vitis vinifera
varieties was one of the promising attempts to contain the disaster. The vines produced by this hybridization did not necessarily produce better wines, but did produce vine stock that could better survive Phylloxera attacks.
Seibel and his company produced over 16,000 new hybrids, with nearly 500 varieties that were then grown commercially. He often used as a female parent the hybrid Jaeger 70
, a cross between Vitis lincecumii
and Vitis rupestris
produced by Hermann Jaeger
. Some of the most famous Seibel grapes
are Aurore (Seibel 5279), Chancellor (Seibel 7053), Chelois (Seibel 10878), De Chaunac (Seibel 9549).
His grapes were widely planted in France
and Brazil
. However, other than in countries such as Canada and the United States, Seibel grapes have fallen from favour in recent years due partly to restrictions in European law.
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
physician
Physician
A physician is a health care provider who practices the profession of medicine, which is concerned with promoting, maintaining or restoring human health through the study, diagnosis, and treatment of disease, injury and other physical and mental impairments...
and viticulturist who made hybrid crosses of European wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
grape
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
s (Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
) with native North American grapes. His crosses are known as Seibel grapes
Seibel grapes
Seibel grapes are a group of wine grape varieties which originated with the work of Albert Seibel. They were planted widely in France during the 1950s but have seen decline in recent years due to French wine law banning the cultivation of hybrid grapes for appellation wine. The grapes are still...
.
Biography
Seibel was born in AubenasAubenas
Aubenas is a commune in the southern part of the Ardèche department in the Rhône Valley in southern France.It is the seat of several government offices...
in the Ardeche in 1844.
In 1895, he founded a school to teach grafting methods.
He died in 1936.
Breeding programme
In the 1860s the Phylloxera plague cut European wine production by more than two-thirds. As the pest originated in the New WorldNew World
The New World is one of the names used for the Western Hemisphere, specifically America and sometimes Oceania . The term originated in the late 15th century, when America had been recently discovered by European explorers, expanding the geographical horizon of the people of the European middle...
, crossing American stock with European Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera
Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....
varieties was one of the promising attempts to contain the disaster. The vines produced by this hybridization did not necessarily produce better wines, but did produce vine stock that could better survive Phylloxera attacks.
Seibel and his company produced over 16,000 new hybrids, with nearly 500 varieties that were then grown commercially. He often used as a female parent the hybrid Jaeger 70
Jaeger 70
Jaeger 70 is a hybrid of two American species of grape, Vitis lincecumii and Vitis rupestris. It was developed by Hermann Jaeger, of Missouri, who named it Munson after his friend and fellow grape breeder, T.V. Munson, however it is the selection number that has made it into common usage...
, a cross between Vitis lincecumii
Vitis lincecumii
Vitis lincecumii is a type of grape. It is often referred to by the nicknames: Big Summer Grape, Pine Wood Grape, Post Oak Grape, Sand Grape, South Western Aestivalis, Turkey Grape, and Vine Wood Grape....
and Vitis rupestris
Vitis rupestris
Vitis rupestris is a kind of grape native to the Southern and Western United States that is known by many common names including July, sand, sugar, beach, bush, currant, ingar, rock, and mountain grape. It is used for breeding several French-American hybrids as well as many root stocks. ...
produced by Hermann Jaeger
Hermann Jaeger
Hermann Jaeger , who was a native of Switzerland, was a celebrated enologist and recipient of the French Grand Cross of the Legion of Honor for his part in saving the French wine industry from the deadly phylloxera louse....
. Some of the most famous Seibel grapes
Seibel grapes
Seibel grapes are a group of wine grape varieties which originated with the work of Albert Seibel. They were planted widely in France during the 1950s but have seen decline in recent years due to French wine law banning the cultivation of hybrid grapes for appellation wine. The grapes are still...
are Aurore (Seibel 5279), Chancellor (Seibel 7053), Chelois (Seibel 10878), De Chaunac (Seibel 9549).
His grapes were widely planted in France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
and Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
. However, other than in countries such as Canada and the United States, Seibel grapes have fallen from favour in recent years due partly to restrictions in European law.
External links
- Seibel, Albert Definition in the Wine Dictionary at Epicurious.com accessed 4 October 2007;
Further reading
-
- This article is based in part on material from the German Wikipedia.
- Paul, Harry W. (2002) Science, Vine and Wine in Modern France Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK, pp. 103–104, ISBN 0-521-52521-7
- This article is based in part on material from the German Wikipedia.