Ravat blanc

Ravat blanc was created in the 1930s by J.F. Ravat in the commune of Marcigny in the Saône-et-Loire department of eastern France that includes the Burgundy wine region. Ravat crossed the Vitis vinifera Chardonnay grape with a hybrid Seibel grape (either Seibel 5474 or Seibel 8724) created by the French viticulturist Albert Seibel. This lineage makes Ravat blanc a "complex" hybrid in that its pedigree includes genes from several Vitis species. In Seibel 405's lineage are vines from the Vitis rupestris and Vitis aestivalis species while Seibel 867 is a crossing of two other complex hybrids, Noah (which has Vitis riparia and Vitis labrusca in its lineage) and Vivarais (also known as Seibel 2003 which is a crossing of Munson and Herbmont d'Aurelles). The grape was widely planted after its release with more than 600 hectares (1,483 acres) of the variety reported in France in 1958. But the low quality of the grape's wine, the vine's low fertility and its susceptibility to a number of viticultural hazards (including powdery mildew) lead to a sharp drop in plantings and by 2008 there was 7 hectares (17 acres) of the grape left in France. ==Viticulture==

Ravat blanc is a mid-ripening grape variety that buds which can leave it susceptible to early spring frosts. While the vine has some resistance to downy mildew, it is a very susceptible to a number of viticultural hazards including anthracnose, botrytis bunch rot and powdery mildew. Ravat blanc tends to produce small bunches of berries that can turn slightly pink after veraison when fully ripe. ==Wine regions==

While once widely planted in France, today there is only 7 ha (17 acres). Most of these plantings are in the Rhone valley where Domaine Mondon-Demeuré has Ravat blanc planted in a vineyard with other rare varieties just northwest of the commune of Saint-Étienne. As the grape does not qualify for any ''Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) designation, the varietal wine that Domaine Mondon-Demeuré produces from Ravat blanc is labeled only as a vin de France''. Outside France the grape is more readily found in the United States where wineries such as Bully Hill Vineyards in the Fingers Lake AVA of New York State use the grape to sweet wines. ==Synonyms==

Over the years Ravat blanc has been known under a variety of synonyms including: Rava 6, Ravat 6, Ravat Chardonnay, Ravat Chardonnay 6, Ravat Chardonnay B. ==References==