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Winegrowers Supplies
- Vine variety information
Merzling
(originally known as Fr. 993-60)
Mother: Seyve Villard 5-276 (Seyval blanc)
Father: Fr. 375-52 (Riesling x Ruländer)
A white Piwi/disease-resistant variety.
Year of breeding: 1960 (Dr Johannes Zimmermann)
Country of origin: Germany
Breeder/License holder: Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg
Number of clones: 0
Year of entry into the German Federal Office's Varieties Register: 1993
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 in Germany 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: average, as Müller-Thurgau
Strength of growth: strong to very strong, very upright
Growth of side-shoots: below average
Flowering time: average, as Müller-Thurgau
Flowering strength: high (very reliable yield)
Leaf: - size: medium-large
- shape: 5 lobed
- colour:
- surface undulation:
- petiolar sinus: overlapping
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: medium-large, very strong stems - density: tight
Berries: - size: medium, juicy
- shape:
- skin colour:
green, yellow-green when fully ripe
Time of veraison: average, as Müller-Thurgau
Time of harvest: late; grapes can be left on the vine for a long time,
although when over-ripe it can have a strange taste
Grape yield: very high
Must-weight: medium
Must-acidity: medium-high
Wood ripening: good
Winter hardiness: very good
Wood colour:
Chlorosis resistance:
Resistance against - Oidium: average to high
- Peronospora: average to high
- Botrytis: high
- Roter Brenner:
- Phomopsis
- Stem-atrophy: very good
In some years it can manage without
any treatment against fungal diseases, but at least one spray against Oidium
is recommended
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, very little summer leaf-work needed.
Disadvantages: Not the most resistant to Oidium. Late ripening. I'm dubious about the wine quality.
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