{{Short description|Variety of grape}} {{Infobox grape variety | name = Muscat bleu | image = Weinstock Muscat bleu.JPG | caption = Muscat bleu. The colour changes to blue-black when ripe. | alt = | color = Noir | color_alt = | species = | also_called = | origin = Peissy | pedigree0 = Garnier 15-6 × Perle noire | pedigree1 = | pedigree2 = | regions = | notable_wines = | soil = | hazards = | breeder = Charles Garnier | institute = | crossing_year = | selection_year = | protection_year = | seeds_formation = | flowers_sex = }}
'''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.<ref name="Wine Grapes">J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pg 687 Allen Lane 2012 {{ISBN|978-1-846-14446-2}}</ref>
==Pedigree== left|thumb|Müller-Thurgau, one of the "grand parent" varieties to Muscat bleu. Muscat bleu is considered to be a "complex hybrid", meaning that within its lineage are grape varieties belonging to several different species of the grapevine genus, ''Vitis''. Despite having the name ''Muscat'', there are actually no Muscat grape varieties closely related to Muscat bleu. The grape is the result of a crossing of Garnier 15-6 and Perle noire, both varieties themselves being inter-specific crossings with complex lineages.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>
Garnier 15-6 is a crossing of Villard noir, developed in Southwest France by Bertille Seyve and Victor Villard, and the ''Vitis vinifera'' grape Müller-Thurgau developed by Swiss grape breeder Hermann Müller. Villard noir is a crossing of the Seibel grapes Chancellor and Les Subéreux which have ''Vitis labrusca'' and ''Vitis riparia'' and ''Vitis rupestris'' in their lineages.<ref>Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) ''[http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=13082 Villard noir] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120513100942/http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=13082 |date=2012-05-13 }}'' Accessed: June 11th, 2013</ref> Müller-Thurgau is a crossing of two ''vinifera'' varieties, Riesling and Madeleine Royale.<ref>Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) ''[http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=8141 Müller-Thurgau] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140317140951/http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=8141 |date=2014-03-17 }}'' Accessed: June 11th, 2013</ref>
Perle noire is a crossing of the ''Vitis vinifera'' Spanish table grape variety Teneron and Seyve-Villard 12-358 which, itself, is a complex hybrid from the Seibel grapes Les Subéreux and Seibel 6468.<ref>Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) ''[http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=9165 Perle noire]'' Accessed: June 11th, 2013</ref>
==Viticulture== right|thumb|The sweet "grapey" aroma of ripe Muscat bleu grapes attracts wasps. Muscat bleu is an early ripening variety that buds midway through the budding period of the growing season. The vine produces large, loose clusters of large size berries that give off a sweet "grapey", Muscat-like aroma that can attract wasps to the vineyard. Muscat bleu has good resistance to fungal infections such as downy mildew but is susceptible to the viticultural hazards of coulure and millerandage.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>
==Wine regions== Today Muscat bleu is found in Switzerland and Belgium where it is used for both table grape and wine production. In Switzerland, the grape is a popular planting among home gardeners but as of 2009 at least {{convert|3|ha|acres}} of Muscat bleu was dedicated to commercial wine production.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/>
==Synonyms== As a relatively recently created hybrid, Muscat bleu does not have many synonyms, with only Aromato, Garnier 83/2, Muscat bleu Garnier and Muskat bleu generally recognized.<ref name="Wine Grapes"/><ref>Vitis International Variety Catalogue (VIVC) ''[http://www.vivc.de/datasheet/dataResult.php?data=16002 Muscat bleu]'' Accessed: June 11th, 2013</ref>
==References== {{reflist|2}}
{{Hybrid grape varieties}}
Category:Red wine grape varieties Category:Hybrid grape varieties