Petit Bouschet saw a surge of plantings in the late 19th century as France recovered from the phylloxera epidemic where it was often used to add color to blends made from hybrid grapes and other high yielding varieties.
The grape is a crossing of two Vitis vinifera varieties, Aramon noir and the red-flesh Teinturier du Cher.
This makes Petit Bouschet a crossing and not a hybrid grape which would have parents from two difference species from the genus Vitis.
In the early 21st century, some ampelographers suspected that Petit Bouschet may have been a parent vine for the Provençal wine grape Téoulier but DNA profiling has disproved that suggestion.
Also known as "suckers", these shoots can sap the vine of nutritional and water resources that would otherwise be funneled into developing and ripening the grape clusters and will need to be removed throughout the growing season.