Vine variety: Orion  (originally known as Gf. Ga-58-30)

Mother: Optima
Father: Villard Blanc (Seyve Villard 12-375)
Year of breeding:

Country of origin: Germany
Year of entry into the German Federal Office's Varieties Register: 1994
Breeder/License holder: Bundesforschungsanstalt für Rebenzüchtung Geilweilerhof,
                                 Siebeldingen/Rheinpfalz
Number of clones: 0
Area planted in Germany in :         hectares
Area planted in England (as at August 2004): unknown, large numbers of vines have been planted

Wine Character - colour: 
                      - bouquet: 
                      - palate: the wine is very easy to drink, with a fresh pleasant soft acidity.
The wines ripen quickly and should therefore be bottled early.
Expert tasters and even Gas-chromatograph measurements ('aromagraphs') cannot distinguish this wine from pure Vinifera varieties.

Time of bud-burst: middle

Strength of growth: strong
Growth of side-shoots: strong

Flowering time: 
Flowering strength: high

Leaf: - size:                                    - shape: 
        - colour: 
        - surface undulation:                - petiolar sinus: 
The leaves are not attractive to phylloxera, so leaf galls do not develop. It is comparable with any Vinifera in this respect.

Grape bunch: - size:                         - density: 
Berries:        - size:                         - shape: 
                   - skin colour: 

Time of veraison: middle-early
Time of harvest: middle-late; grapes can be left on the vine for a very long time.

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

Wood ripening: very good
Winter hardiness: very good (-20 °C causes no problem)
Wood colour: yellow-brown

Chlorosis resistance: 
Susceptibility to - Oidium: very low           - Peronospora: very low
                       - Botrytis: very low          - Roter Brenner: 
                       - Phomopsis                   - Stem-atrophy: 
In the UK in extreme weather conditions (wet followed by hot sun), and with dense foliage, it can be slightly susceptible to oidium; however, it is the most resistant of all varieties.

Preferred soil: 
Suitable rootstocks: SO4 or 5C

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. Spraying is hardly ever necessary, so ideal for Organic Wine. The wine is very easy to drink, and is ideal for blending with strong muscat varieties such as Schönburger.

Disadvantages: Strong growth of side-shoots. Wines are best drunk young.

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