The white grape variety is a new breed between (Silvaner x Riesling) x Müller-Thurgau, which was confirmed by DNA analyses published in 2012. Incidentally, the same parents also gave rise to the Grando variety. The variety was named after the Greek wine god Bacchus. Synonyms are Bacchus Weiß, Frühe Scheurebe, Geilweilerhof 33-29-133 and GF. 33-29-133. The cross was made in 1933 by the breeders Peter Morio (1887-1960) and Bernhard Husfeld (1900-1970) at the Institute for Vine Breeding Geilweilerhof in Siebeldingen-Pfalz. Plant variety protection was granted in 1972. The variety was a crossing partner of the new varieties Birstaler Muskat, Geilweilerhof GA-48-12, Phoenix, Réselle, Sirius and Staufer.
The early-maturing, high-yielding vine is susceptible to botrytis. It produces fruity, rather low-acid white wines with elderberry aromas and discreet caraway and muscat tones that resemble Sauvignon Blanc. These are often used for blending with Müller-Thurgau. Due to its distinct aroma, it is called a bouquet variety. It occupies 1,667 hectares of vineyards in Germany. There are also stocks in Austria, England (127 ha), Switzerland (2 ha), the Czech Republic, Canada (20 ha) and Hungary (0.5 ha). In 2016, a total of 1,757 hectares of vineyards were reported, with a strong downward trend (Kym Anderson statistics). However, Bacchus is also one of the synonyms for the US hybrid variety Clinton.
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
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