Red Riesling
Compared to the worldwide Riesling grape variety , the red Riesling is hardly known today as a white wine variety . It has at least as long a history as the white wine grape known simply as Riesling , with which German and Austrian winegrowers in particular have been enjoying great success around the world for years.
The climate change in 1991 was not an issue, and the conservation of genetic resources was enshrined only in the so-called Rio Protocol of 1992 as a social and political commitment and task. Nevertheless, the Institute for Grapevine Breeding at the Geisenheim University began to cultivate a historical grape variety with the red Riesling as early as 1991. In addition to scientific interest, inquiries from the viticultural practice of the Hessian growing areas Rheingau and Hessische Bergstrasse triggered the processing of the grape variety.
origin
The red Riesling variety survived unnoticed in the assortments of vine growers and viticulture research institutes. Ampelographically identical to the white Riesling except for the berry color , a common origin is obvious. Blue, red and color variants are known of many “old” varieties such as Silvaner , Elbling , Gutedel and Muskateller . It is generally assumed that the dark berry color was the original and that the color gene was switched off by mutation . HÖRTER (1822) describes the red Riesling as a grape "from which the famous Constantia Kapwein is made ... Wood, leaves and grapes are similar to those of the small Rieslings, but the former is earlier and more bearable." Whether it is really the real one Red Riesling is questionable. BABO and METZGER (1836) only indicate the red berry color as the difference to the white Riesling. They also report that Bronner observed the red variety around Edenkoben in the Palatinate and in Würzburg an der Leisten . They close the section on the red Riesling with the remark: "It would be desirable that this variety should be given more attention, as it is to be expected that it could become important for wine culture ." Unfortunately, this suggestion was not followed up.
Name and distribution
The question of the origin of the red Riesling can only be answered through the white Riesling. REGNER et al. (1998) identified the Heunisch variety and a descendant of Roter Traminer and Vitis silvestris as parent varieties of Riesling based on molecular genetic studies . The Rhine Valley between Karlsruhe and Worms is assumed to be the area of origin ( BABO 1844, SCHENK 1967).
Riesling was first mentioned as a seedling vine in 1435 in an invoice from the Counts of Katzenelnbogen in Rüsselsheim . The field of grapevine breeding in Geisenheim was referred to in 2010 by the former vine refiner Ewald Pohl from Lorch in the first documentary mention of a "Rüßelinge Wingart" in Lorch (HHSTAW Abt. 22 document 1565) . There is no uniform spelling for the name Riesling. Rißling, Ruesseling, Rusling are just a few documented ways of writing in the 15th century . Possibly the name comes from Middle High German (mhd.) "Risen" falling away and would indicate the trickling of the notes during the heyday. BRONNER (1857) derives the name from mhd. "Rizen", which means tear off and means tear into the trunk or cracked bark . SCHENK (1967) sees the root word “Ries” as a New High German modification of mhd. “Rus” as dark and thus a reference to dark wood . The wood color of the Riesling is more yellow-brown. "Rus" means dark rather than the dark red color of the grapes as the most striking feature of the grape variety. This means that the red Riesling is probably the original form of the Riesling. This is also suggested that similar to the variety Pinot Gris berry color on whole grapes can mutate into the White. If you increase the eyes of a shoot on which all grapes have mutated completely into white, you only get white offspring. These mutations can also be the cause of the perhaps creeping disappearance of the red Riesling form. The red Riesling was probably also available in a mixed batch. During the changeover to single-varietal vineyards for qualitative reasons , the white Riesling was preferred to the red Riesling for unknown reasons.
properties
The institute for grapevine breeding at the Geisenheim University, as an important maintenance breeder of the white Riesling variety, wanted to expand the genetic breadth of the variety and began to cultivate the red Riesling in 1991. Planting material from five clones that meet the latest phytosanitary standard for EU vine reproductive material is available for cultivation . The delivery takes place as breeder's plant material. The yield of the red Riesling is approx. 15 percent lower than that of the white Riesling clone 110-06 Gm. But this is one of the more productive clones of the Geisenheimer Riesling collection. The must weight is slightly higher. The must acid values are the same. The question of better resistance to rot due to the dark berry color has not yet been finally clarified. The behavior towards stem diseases is the same as that of white Riesling. Location requirements and performance characteristics of the red and white Riesling are almost identical.
Sensors
In the sensory evaluation of the wines, the wines of the Red Riesling were almost always described as stronger and more substantial. A sugar-free extract that is 2 to 3 g / l higher can always be determined analytically. By heating the mash and cold maceration , pink and old gold tones could also be achieved.
use
The cultivation in practice took place from 2002. The variety is classified for the Hessian growing areas Rheingau and Hessische Bergstrasse and can be planted without any special conditions. According to the official viticulture register of the State of Hesse (REG: PRÄS. DARMSTADT, DEZ. WEINBAUAMT ELTVILLE) currently 14.3308 hectares in the Rheingau and 12.6341 hectares on the Hessische Bergstrasse are planted with red Riesling (status: October 13, 2014). The red Riesling variety is also classified in the Saxony and Saale-Unstrut growing regions .
literature
- Lambert von Babo , Johann Metzger : The wine and table grapes of the German vineyards and gardens. 2 volumes (main volume, table volume). Heinrich Hoff, Mannheim 1836, ( digitized main volume , digitized panel volume ).
- Lambert von Babo: The vine and its varieties. Description and synonymy of the most excellent wine and table grapes cultivated in Germany. With reference to the better-known grape varieties from other European wine countries. Edited and classified according to a new system. New edition. Brönner, Frankfurt am Main 1844, ( digitized ).
- August von Babo , Edmund Mach : Handbook of viticulture and cellar management. Volume: Handbook of Viticulture. 2 half volumes. 4th edition. Paul Parey, Berlin 1923–1924.
- Friedrich von Bassermann-Jordan : History of viticulture. 3 volumes. 2nd, significantly expanded edition. Frankfurter Verlags-Anstalt, Frankfurt am Main 1923.
- Johann P. Bronner : The wild grapes of the Rhine valley. Georg Mohr, Heidelberg 1857.
- Jakob Hört: The Rhineland viticulture according to theoretical-practical principles for thinking economists. Theil 2. Gall, Trier 1822, digitized .
- Jakob Hört (Hrsg.): Journal of the Rhineland viticulture for thinking economists. Published in conjunction with the most excellent oenologists from the Nahe, Rhine, Moselle and Aar regions. Vol. 1, 1827 - Vol. 2, 1828, ZDB -ID 882317-0 , digital copies .
- Hubert Konrad: Yellow Orleans and Red Riesling. Two historical grape varieties in Hessen. In: German Viticulture Yearbook. Vol. 64, 2013, ISSN 0343-3714 , pp. 157-162.
- Felix Meyer: Introduction and distribution of Riesling on the Moselle. Contribution to the economic history of the Moselle valley. In: Rheinische Heimatblätter. Vol. 1, No. 3, 1924, ZDB -ID 214236-3 , pp. 80-87, digitized
- Ferdinand Regner , Alexandra Stadlbauer, Cornelia Eisenheld: Heunisch × Fränkisch, an important gene pool of European grape varieties (Vitis vinifera L sativa). In: The wine science. Vol. 53, No. 3, 1998, ISSN 0375-8818 , pp. 114-118.
- Darmstadt regional council, Eltville viticulture department: Viticulture index for the State of Hesse. online .
- W. Schenk: Origin and characteristics of the Riesling grape variety and how it is differentiated from other varieties. In: Paul Claus (Ed.): The Riesling and its wines. Lectures at the 1st major January conference in 1967 in the town hall in Rüdesheim, Rhine. Weinberg and Keller-Verlag, Traben-Trarbach 1967, pp. 9–28.
- Josef Staab : The Riesling - the history of a grape variety. For the issuance of the special stamp "500 years of Riesling cultivation" by the German Federal Post Office 1990. In: Georg von Blomberg: Wine on postage stamps (= writings on wine history. No. 99, ISSN 0302-0967 ). Society for the History of Wine, Wiesbaden 1991, pp. 23–36.
Web links
- Red Riesling in the database Vitis International Variety Catalog of the Institute for Vine Breeding Geilweilerhof (English)