Ségalin

Figure 1 Segalin cluster

Figure 2 Segalin leaf

Ségalin was selected from a planned cross of the varieties Jurançon noir and Portugais, made in 1957 by Paul Truel, an ampelographer and grape breeder at Domaine de Vassal, the vineyard collection of the Institut National de la Recherche Agronomique (INRA) in Montpelier. The variety was named after the Ségalis, inhabitants of Ségala, a region between the Aveyron and the Tarn (Robinson et al., 2012). Ségalin was certified by INRA in 1980, with one clone (745). Ségalin ENTAV-INRA 745 is in the collection of Foundation Plant Services, UC Davis. It is a proprietary selection that cannot be distributed without written permission of the owner (ENTAV-INRA).

Ségalin is fruitful on basal nodes and can be cordon-trained and spur pruned. It has moderate vigor and yield potential (Table 1). Leaves are circular, dark green, with three or five lobes. Petiolar sinus is U-shaped, and margins are toothed. Clusters are medium in size with small spherical to oval berries with significant bloom (waxy coating).

In the San Joaquin Valley, vines trained to quadrilateral cordons and pruned to two-bud spurs averaged approximately 77 clusters/vine (Table 1). Clusters were medium in size (0.30 kg), well filled, with small spherical berries averaging 1.1 g. At the vine spacing used in the trial (6’ x 10’), yield was estimated to be equivalent to 15.63 tons/acre.

Ségalin can produce well-colored, good-quality wines, even in warm and hot climate regions. Therefore, interest in this variety has increased among growers looking for heat tolerant red wine varieties. Wine made from Ségalin grapes grown at the Kearney Agricultural Center in Parlier, California, consistently had relatively good color and flavor and were well accepted by tasters.

Robinson, J., J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz. 2012. Wine Grapes. HarperCollins, New York