The red grape variety originates from Spain or South America and belongs to the group of the so-called Criollas (see there the history in detail). Synonyms are Criolla Grande Sanjuanina, Criolla San Juanina, Criolla Sanjuanina, Criolla Sanjuanino, Criolla San Juanino, Criollina San Juanina, Sanjuanina Rosada and Uva Tierna. It was either introduced to South America (Argentina) with other varieties from Spain (Canary Islands) as early as the mid-16th century or originated there. According to the latest DNA analyses carried out in 2018, it originates from a presumably natural cross between Criolla Chica (Listán Prieto) x Muscat d'Alexandrie. However, this is based on only 20 DNA markers (see molecular genetics).
The grapes of the medium to late ripening, high-yielding vine reach a weight of up to four kilograms. The light red berries yield simple, light rosé wines that are bottled for mass consumption in Tetra Paks, tubular containers and large bottles. It is often blended with colourful red wines. It is also used as table grape. In Argentina, the variety is mainly cultivated in the province of Mendoza. In 2016, a total of 15,596 hectares of vineyards were reported, with a strong downward trend. Smaller areas are also said to exist in Australia, Brazil, Chile and Spain, but no stocks were recorded in these countries. Compared to the year 1990 with 68,513 hectares at that time, there was an extreme reduction of about 80%. This puts it in 50th place in the global grape variety ranking (Kym Anderson statistics).
Source: Wine Grapes / J. Robinson, J. Harding, J. Vouillamoz / Penguin Books Ltd. 2012
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
