Ravat

[ra-VA] In the late nineteenth century, J. F. Ravat, a French hybridizer created numerous successful hybrids by combining vitus vinifera vines with native american vines. The best known of these are Ravat 262 (popularly known as Ravat Noir), which produces light fruity red wines; Ravat 6 (better known as Ravat Blanc), which produces good-quality white wines; and Ravat 51 (or Vignoles), another white-wine grape. The latter has become the more widely planted of the Ravats, with acreage in New York, Pennsylvania, and Michigan. When botrytis cinerea forms on the high-acid Vignoles grapes, the result is a rich, honeyed wine. Vignoles grapes are also made into dry and semisweet wines.