The Kerner grape is an aromatic white
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago, ...
variety. It was bred in 1929 by
August Herold
August Karl Herold (August 7, 1902 in Neckarsulm – January 8, 1973 in Neckarsulm) was a German grape breeder.
Herold graduated from the Agricultural College Hohenheim in 1925, worked at a grape breeding station in Naumburg 1926–1928 and ...
by crossing
Trollinger
Trollinger, Schiava, or Vernatsch, is a red German/Italian wine grape variety that was likely first originally cultivated in the wine regions of South Tyrol and Trentino, but today is almost exclusively cultivated on steep, sunny locations in t ...
(a red variety also known as Schiava grossa or Vernatsch) and
Riesling
Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...
.
[Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Kerner](_blank)
, accessed on April 23, 2008
accessed on March 6, 2013 Herold was working at a plant breeding station in
Lauffen
Lauffen am Neckar () or simply Lauffen is a town in the district of Heilbronn, Baden-Württemberg, Germany. It is on the river Neckar, southwest of Heilbronn. The town is famous as the birthplace of the poet Friedrich Hölderlin and for its ...
in the
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...
region of
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
. This station belonged to a state breeding institute headquartered in
Weinsberg
Weinsberg (South Franconian: ''Weischberg'') is a town in the north of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It was founded around 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 11,800 inhabitants. It is noted for its win ...
. It received varietal protection and was released for general cultivation in 1969.
Kerner is named in honour of a poet and physician from
Swabia
Swabia ; german: Schwaben , colloquially ''Schwabenland'' or ''Ländle''; archaic English also Suabia or Svebia is a cultural, historic and linguistic region in southwestern Germany.
The name is ultimately derived from the medieval Duchy of ...
,
Justinus Kerner
Justinus Andreas Christian Kerner (18 September 1786, in Ludwigsburg, Baden-Württemberg, Germany – 21 February 1862, in Weinsberg, Baden-Württemberg) was a German poet, practicing physician, and medical writer. He gave the first detailed d ...
, whose works included songs and poetry on wine. Kerner lived from 1818 to his death in Weinsberg.
In 2006 Kerner was the 8th most planted variety in
Germany
Germany,, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country in Central Europe. It is the second most populous country in Europe after Russia, and the most populous member state of the European Union. Germany is situated betwe ...
with and 3.9% of the total vineyard surface.
[German Wine Institute: German Wine Statistics 2007-2008](_blank)
The trend since the mid-1990s is that German plantations of Kerner decrease, just as the case for all other "new breeds" of white varieties, such as
Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau is a white grape variety (sp. ''Vitis vinifera'') which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882 at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in Germany. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine ...
and
Bacchus
In ancient Greek religion and Greek mythology, myth, Dionysus (; grc, wikt:Διόνυσος, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstas ...
. German plantations of Kerner reached their highest point around 1990, with around and 7.5% of the total German vineyard surface. For a while around 1995 it was in fact the third most planted variety in Germany after Riesling and Müller-Thurgau.
Kerner is most commonly planted in the German regions of
Palatinate,
Rheinhessen
Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (german: Rheinhessen) is a region and a former government district () in the German state of Rhineland- ...
,
Mosel, and
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Hohenzollern, two other historical territories, Würt ...
, but it is also grown in
Austria
Austria, , bar, Östareich officially the Republic of Austria, is a country in the southern part of Central Europe, lying in the Eastern Alps. It is a federation of nine states, one of which is the capital, Vienna, the most populous ...
(
Styria
Styria (german: Steiermark ; Serbo-Croatian and sl, ; hu, Stájerország) is a state (''Bundesland'') in the southeast of Austria. With an area of , Styria is the second largest state of Austria, after Lower Austria. Styria is bordered to ...
),
Switzerland
). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...
, the island of
Hokkaido
is Japan's second largest island and comprises the largest and northernmost prefecture, making up its own region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō from Honshu; the two islands are connected by the undersea railway Seikan Tunnel.
The la ...
in
Japan
Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...
,
Old Mission Peninsula
Peninsula Township is a civil township of Grand Traverse County in the U.S. state of Michigan. As of the 2020 census, the township population was 6,068, up from 5,433 at the 2010 census. The township is coterminous with the Old Mission Peninsul ...
in
Michigan
Michigan () is a state in the Great Lakes region of the upper Midwestern United States. With a population of nearly 10.12 million and an area of nearly , Michigan is the 10th-largest state by population, the 11th-largest by area, and the ...
, and the
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional Ita ...
province of
South Tyrol
it, Provincia Autonoma di Bolzano – Alto Adige lld, Provinzia Autonoma de Balsan/Bulsan – Südtirol
, settlement_type = Autonomous province
, image_skyline =
, image_alt ...
. It was introduced into South Tyrol in the early 1970s and awarded ''
Denominazione di origine controllata
The following four classifications of wine constitute the Italian system of labelling and legally protecting Italian wine:
* ''Denominazione di origine'' (DO, rarely used; ; English: “designation of origin”),
* ''Indicazione geografica tipic ...
'' (DOC) status in 1993.
Plant
Vigour
Kerner has a good vigour and generally it is grown on a medium vigorous rootstock like SO4.
Leaf
The leaf is medium-sized with a dark green blade and a dentated leaf edge.
Grape
The grape is medium-sized and quite compact.
Kerner buds late and so the shoots mature well and show a considerable resistance to cold winters, it can survive at temperature of – 10 °C.
Compared to Riesling, Kerner can be grown in less favourable conditions and has bigger yields. The ripening is in early October.
This vine grows on all types of soil, in general is grown on slopes and on sunny slopes it can be grown up to altitudes of 800–900 metres.
This crossing isn’t sensitive to downy mildew, powdery mildew and botrytis, but in bad weather conditions these diseases can cause some problems. There aren’t pest problems because in these cold conditions they can't develop.
Wine
Color
Transparent straw yellow, sometimes with golden reflex.
Aromas
Pronounced varietal bouquet, often with a Muscat tone; fresh aromas offer a tasty blend of mixed white fruits, with hints of apple, grapefruit and a tropical whiff of mango.
Taste
Resembling Riesling, Kerner wines are fresh, racy and fruity, but yet milder in acidity and showing more body.
Synonyms
Kerner is known under the following synonyms:
Herold Triumpf, Herold Weiss, Schiava Grossa x Riesling Renano WE 25/30, Trollinger x Riesling Renano WE S 25/30, WE S 2530, Weinsberg S 25-30, Weißer Herold.
Offspring
The variety
Kernling is a
mutation
In biology, a mutation is an alteration in the nucleic acid sequence of the genome of an organism, virus, or extrachromosomal DNA. Viral genomes contain either DNA or RNA. Mutations result from errors during DNA or viral replication, mi ...
of Kerner. Three varieties have been created by crossing Kerner with other varieties:
Juwel
The Juwel was a Belgian automobile manufactured from 1923 until 1927 in Waremme by Société des Automobiles Juwel. Initial plans called for a mass-produced 1100 cc four cylinder tourer and two models were shown at the 1922 Brussels Motor Sh ...
and
Silcher are both Kerner x Silvaner (but not identical, since each seed plant acquires a different combination of genetic material from its parents) and
Roter Milan
Roter Veltliner is a grape variety used to make white wine. It is found in Austrian wine, Austria. Some of the better wines come from the Wagram district of Donauland.
Varieties
It is believed to be a very old variety, but its parentage has s ...
is Kerner x
Pinot noir.
References
{{wines
White wine grape varieties