The white grape variety is a new breeding between Riesling x Bukettrebe. Synonyms are Alzey S. 88, Dr. Wagnerrebe, Scheu 88, S-88, Scheu Riesling and as second main name (in Austria) Sämling 88. It was created in 1916 by the German breeder Justus Georg Scheu (1879-1949) at the Landesanstalt für Rebenzüchtung in Alzey (Rheinhessen). The Bukettrebe was identified as late as in 2012, when DNA analyses showed that the Silvaner variety, which was indicated as the father variety, was wrong. Even experts can be wrong, as Scheu had claimed in 1935 during a lecture that the Bukettrebe had not proved to be a crossing partner. Even during his lifetime, people wanted to give this variety the name "Scheu's Liebling"; but the breeder refused. He named it seedling 88 (S-88). In the 3rd Reich it was then named after Dr. Richard Wagner, the then state farmer leader of Hessen-Nassau. After the 2nd World War it was denazified, so to speak, and was called Sämling 88 again. It received its final name only after Scheu's death.
Besides the variety Müller-Thurgau, the Scheurebe is one of the most successful German new varieties. The late-maturing, high-yielding vine is susceptible to powdery mildew. It produces golden-yellow white wines with fruity acidity and a riesling-like, racy taste with aromas of tropical fruits and cassis (blackcurrants). Due to its special aromatic characteristics, it is called a bouquet variety. It is mainly used for higher Prädikat wines such as Beerenauslesen or Trockenbeerenauslesen. It occupies 1,266 hectares in Germany (D-STATIS) and 357 hectares in Austria (ÖWM). There are also further stocks in Switzerland (7 ha), as well as Australia (1 ha), Canada (1 ha) and New Zealand. In 2016, a total of 1,626 hectares of vines were reported (Kym Anderson).
Images: Ursula Brühl, Doris Schneider, Julius Kühn Institute (JKI)
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Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg