Mother: Merzling
Father: Gm 6493 (Zarya severa x Muskat Ottonel)

A white Piwi/disease-resistant variety.

Year of breeding: 1975 (protected since 2001)
Country of origin: Germany
Breeder/License holder: Staatlichen Weinbauinstitut in Freiburg
Number of clones: 

Year of entry into the German Federal Office's Varieties Register: 
Area planted in Germany in 2007: 54 hectares (mainly in Baden) also in Switzerland
Area planted in England: unknown but increasing

Wine Character - colour: yellow-green / yellow
                      - bouquet: fruity, perfumed, hints of banana and hazel-nuts
                      - palate: strong, characterful, fruity, ripe; suited to make sweet wine, or
                                   blends with Riesling or Pinot blanc

Time of bud-burst: early (5 to 7 days before the average)

Strength of growth: very strong, grows in all directions so needs much leaf-work in summer
Growth of side-shoots: 

Flowering time: early (7 days before the average)
Flowering strength: high to very high

Leaf: - size: large                             - shape: 3 lobed
        - colour: dark green
        - surface undulation: like fine leather
        - petiolar sinus: 

Grape bunch: - size: medium              - density: medium
Berries:        - size: small-medium     - shape: 
                   - skin colour: gold

Time of veraison: early (7 days before the average)
Time of harvest: very early

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

Wood ripening: 
Winter hardiness: very good
Wood colour: 

Chlorosis resistance: 
Resistance against - Oidium: very high      - Peronospora: very high
                           - Botrytis: high            - Roter Brenner: 
                           - Phomopsis:               - Stem-atrophy: very high

Preferred soil: needs a good supply of magnesium
Suitable rootstocks: SO4

Normal stem height: 1.3 m
Normal row spacing: 2.5m
Vine spacing in the row: 1.6m (good air flow is important)

Winter Pruning:       eyes/buds per sq. metre of land occupied by the plant. 
"Seems to have lovely strong shoots at the extremities, and not much to use as replacements.", so unlikely to be suitable for spur pruning.

Advantages: Very early harvest, high ripeness. High yielding, reliable in a poor climate. Should not need any spraying. Nice wine, develops early. An excellent variety.

Disadvantages: Very strong growth requiring a lot of summer leaf-work. It is beneficial to cool the fermentation. In England it can suffer from botrytis bunch rot near to harvest, so a spray against this (before bunches close up) may be beneficial.

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