 As a teinturier, Grand noir is often used to add color to wines that it is blended into but is paler than other choices such as Alicante Bouschet.The vine tends to bud late and has a high productivity but with some susceptibility to the viticultural hazard of powdery mildew.While Grand Noir de la Calmette originated in France and was once widely grown in the Cognac and Languedoc wine regions, today it is rarely planted in that country.