The white grape variety is a new breeding between the white variety Rakisch x the red variety Merlan. It contains genes from Vitis berlandieri, Vitis rupestris and Vitis vinifera. The hybrid was crossed in the Czech Republic by a team around the breeder Vilém Kraus (1924-2013). Plant variety protection was granted in 2001. Incidentally, the same parents also gave rise to the two varieties Savilon and Vesna. The late-maturing, high-yielding vine is generally resistant to fungal diseases and is therefore considered a PIWI variety. It produces aromatic, full-bodied white wines with aromas of cinnamon and bread crust as well as ageing potential. It was a crossing partner in the new Pinot Nova variety. The variety is cultivated in Moravia. However, no stocks were reported in 2016 (Kym Anderson statistics).
Pictures: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
For my many years of work as an editor with a wine and culinary focus, I always like to inform myself about special questions at Wine lexicon. Spontaneous reading and following links often leads to exciting discoveries in the wide world of wine.
Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien