The red grape variety is a new cross between the red Médoc Noir (Menoir) x the white Csaba Gyöngye (Pearl of Csaba). Synonyms are Gardoinii, Gárdonyi and Merengoe 5. The cross was made in 1960 in the city of Eger by the Hungarian breeder József Csizmazia. It was named after the Hungarian playwright Géza Gárdonyi (1863-1922), who died in Eger, where there is also a monument to him. The variety was a crossing partner of the new varieties Nero, Titan and Turán. No stock was reported in 2016 (Kym Anderson statistics).
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