Villard is the common French name for a great French viticultural secret, their most commonly planted hybrids. Most are members of the vast seyve villard group.
G.M.
In France, Villard Noir is Seyve-Villard 18.315 while Villard Blanc is Seyve-Villard 12.375. Villard Noir was planted all over France, from the northern Rhône to Bordeaux, and was treasured for its resistance to downy mildew and rot
. Villard Blanc made slightly more palatable wine (though the must can be difficult to process). Both varieties yield prodigiously and for that attribute were so beloved by growers that in 1968 there were 30,000 ha/74,000 acres of Villard Noir and 21,000 ha of Villard Blanc in France (making them fifth and third most planted black and white grape varieties respectively).
