Mother: Saperavi Severnyi (= Précoce de Malingre x Vitis amurensis)
Father: St Laurent

A red Piwi/disease-resistant variety. The most exciting Piwi red variety for cold climates.

Year of breeding: 1964
Country of origin: Czechoslovakia. During the 'cold war' the breeder Professor V. Kraus gave some seeds to Professor Helmut Becker (1927-1990) of Geisenheim, who realised the significance or this breeding programme because of the high peronospora and winter-frost resistance of the asiatic Vitis amurensis. Professor Becker then continued the development of these 'amurensis' varieties of which Rondo is one.
Breeder/License holder: Forschungsanstalt Geisenheim / Rheingau,
                                  Institut für Rebenzüchtung und Rebenveredlung
Number of clones:

Year of entry into the German Federal Office's Varieties Register: 1997
Area planted in Germany:         hectares (in Rheinhessan)
Area planted in England (as at August 2004): 19.6 hecatres, 11th largest
          It is also grown in Sweden (Gottland), Denmark and Holland

Wine Character - colour: dark ruby red, without blue nuances (so it can be blended)
                      - bouquet: 
                      - palate: a full-bodied red wine without any strange tone

Time of bud-burst: early-middle

Strength of growth: medium-high, shoots tend to hang downwards
Growth of side-shoots: medium

Flowering time: very early
Flowering strength: high

Leaf: - size:                                    - shape: 
        - colour: very dark green
        - surface undulation:                - petiolar sinus: 

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

Time of veraison: very early
Time of harvest: very early

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

Wood ripening: early and very good
Winter hardiness: very high
Wood colour: 

Chlorosis resistance: very high
Susceptibility to - Oidium: low-medium          - Peronospora: not susceptible
                       - Botrytis: low                     - Roter Brenner: 
                       - Phomopsis:                       - Stem-atrophy: not susceptible
In the UK it is slightly susceptible to oidium so an early spray and pre-flowering spray are advisable.

Preferred soil: any soils suitable for viticulture with good water supply. Because of the early bud-burst it is important that vineyards should not be prone to late spring frost.
Suitable rootstocks: SO4, 5C, 125AA and 5BB.

Normal stem height: 
Normal row spacing: 
Vine spacing in the row: 
     Normal and wide-planting training systems are possible. Since the shoots tend to hang downwards a high training system is advantageous.

Winter Pruning: 6 eyes/buds per sq. metre of land occupied by the plant. Always crops well, whether it is spur pruned or long cane pruned.

Advantages: Very high quality full-bodied dark red wine. Can be grown on any site which is not prone to late spring frost. Consistently high yield and ripeness. A tribute to the life's work of Professor Becker.

Disadvantages: In the UK in certain years (according to the weather) it can be attacked by wasps, as with all early ripening grape varieties (e.g. Siegerrebe, Madeleine Angevine).

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