Vine variety: Merzling  (originally known as Fr. 993-60)

Mother: Seyve Villard 5-276 (Seyval)
Father: Fr. 375-52 (Riesling x Ruländer)
Year of breeding:

Country of origin: Germany
Year of entry into the German Federal Office's Varieties Register: 
Breeder/License holder: Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg
Number of clones: 0
Area planted in Germany in :         hectares
Area planted in England (as at August 2004): less than one hectare

Wine Character - colour: 
                      - bouquet: 
                      - palate: fruity, full-bodied and 'neutral'
In many blind tastings the wines have been judged better than Riesling.
Like some other hybrids the wines 'consume' large amounts of SO2, hence can oxidise easily and if they do not have sufficient SO2 they may not have a long life.

Time of bud-burst: 

Strength of growth: strong, very upright
Growth of side-shoots: low

Flowering time: 
Flowering strength: high

Leaf: - size:                                    - shape: 
        - colour: 
        - surface undulation:                - petiolar sinus: 
Tough, strong leaf-wall which stays green for a long time in autumn and which resists slight early frost (-1° to -2°C)

Grape bunch: - size: large, very strong stems    - density: tight
Berries:        - size: large, juicy                       - shape: 
                   - skin colour: green

Time of veraison: 
Time of harvest: late; grapes can be left on the vine for a long time

Grape yield: very high
Must-weight: medium
Must-acidity: medium-high

Wood ripening: good
Winter hardiness: very good
Wood colour: 

Chlorosis resistance: 
Susceptibility to - Oidium: average           - Peronospora: very low
                       - Botrytis: low                - Roter Brenner: 
                       - Phomopsis                   - Stem-atrophy: 
In some years it can manage without any treatment against fungal diseases

Preferred soil: 
Suitable rootstocks: SO4

Normal stem height: 
Normal row spacing: 1.8 to 2.0m
Vine spacing in the row: 

Winter Pruning:                      eyes/buds per sq. metre of land occupied by the plant.

Advantages: Very high yield, very easy to grow, high quality wine.

Disadvantages: Late ripening.

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