Plantings of Mondeuse noire was hit hard during the phylloxera epidemic of the mid to late 19th century which nearly wiped out the vine from eastern France.

While the grape recovered slightly in the 20th century, French plantations of Mondeuse noire fell sharply in the 1970s, with just over 200 hectares (490 acres) left in France in 2000.

[1] Mondeuse noire is very similar to Muscardin which is found in Southern Rhône where it is one of the thirteen grape varieties permitted in the wine Châteauneuf-du-Pape.

[4] The grape is a permitted variety in the Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) wines of Bugey in the Ain department and Vin de Savoie.

It could be derived from: Most ampelographers believe that Mondeuse noire is indigenous to the Dauphiné region of southeastern France in an area that is now part of the Drôme, Hautes-Alpes and Isère departments.

An early theory, popularized in 1887 by French ampelographer Pierre Tochon, is that Mondeuse noire could be the Ancient Roman grape Allobrogica described by Pliny the Elder and Columella as well as the 2nd century Greek writer Celsus.

[3] When Mondeuse noire was first introduced to California in the 19th century, some plantings of the vine were misidentified as the Italian wine grape Refosco dal Peduncolo Rosso.

This confusion was exacerbated in the 1960s when cuttings of Mondeuse noire labeled as "Refosco" were taken by the University of California, Davis from a vineyard in Amador County that was established in 1880s and propagated.

This crossing of Mondeuse noire and Zinfandel was created by UC-Davis viticulturist Harold Olmo in 1937 and later developed a white-berried color mutation known as Helena.

[3] Mondeuse noire is a mid-ripening grape variety that tends to thrive on stony vineyard soils that have a high limestone and clay content.

[3] Outside of Europe, Mondeuse noire can be found in New World wine region of Australia where producers such as Brown Brothers Milawa Vineyard grow the grape in Victoria.

Some producers, such as Lagier-Meredith in Napa Valley, which is owned by UC-Davis geneticist Carole Meredith, have been able to independently confirm that their plantings of Mondeuse noire as authentic.

[9] However, wine expert Hugh Johnson believes that Mondeuse noire is often "underrated" and in Savoie has the potential to produce "forthright, fruity reds".