The white grape variety is a new variety between Silvaner x MuscatBlanc. Synonyms are Geilweilerhof I-28-30, Morio Muscat and Morio Muskotaly. The cross was made in 1928 by Peter Morio (1887-1960) at the vine breeding institute Geilweilerhof in Siebeldingen-Pfalz. Plant variety protection was granted in 1956. DNA analyses carried out in 2012 revealed that the White Burgundy (Pinot Blanc) listed as the father variety in the breeding list was incorrect. There had always been doubts about the parentage, as the Muskateller aroma could not be explained. There is a special story about the clarification, because on his deathbed, so to speak, one of Morio's employees confessed to having deliberately pollinated the Silvaner not with pollen from Pinot Blanc, but from Muscat.
The medium to late ripening, high-yielding vine is very susceptible to botrytis and powdery mildew, and moderately susceptible to downy mildew. It produces acidic white wines with a muscat tone, as well as lemon and elderflower aromas. Due to its special aromatic characteristics, it is called a bouquet variety. Until the beginning of the 1970s, the variety was very popular in Germany, but since then the population has declined sharply. In Germany, it is mainly cultivated in the two growing regions of Rheinhessen and Pfalz, where it occupied 361 hectares of vineyards in 2018 (D-STATIS). In 2016, stocks were also reported in South Africa with 78 and in Switzerland with 0.1 hectares (Kym Anderson statistics).
Pictures: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI)
