Collective term for a large number of French hybrids that were crossed between European and American varieties. They were created by the French grower Albert Seibel (1844-1936), in the commune of Saint-Julien-en-Saint-Alban (Département Ardèche), where a street is now named in his honour. He was one of the first in France to produce new varieties on a large scale in the truest sense of the word. This took place even before phylloxera reached France in the middle of the 19th century. When the cause of the vineyard decline was only recognised after some time, crosses between American and European varieties were one of the many (consistently unsuccessful) attempts to get to grips with the rapidly spreading catastrophe.
![]()
The glossary is a monumental achievement and one of the most important contributions to wine knowledge. Of all the encyclopaedias I use on the subject of wine, it is by far the most important. That was the case ten years ago and it hasn't changed since.
Andreas Essl
Autor, Modena