The Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute was founded in 1872 and is located in the town of
Geisenheim
Geisenheim is a town in the Rheingau-Taunus-Kreis in the ''Regierungsbezirk'' of Darmstadt in Hessen, Germany, and is known as ''Weinstadt'' (“Wine Town”), ''Schulstadt'' (“School Town”), ''Domstadt'' (“Cathedral Town”) and ''Lindenst ...
, in Germany's
Rheingau
The Rheingau (; ) is a region on the northern side of the Rhine between the German towns of Wiesbaden and Lorch near Frankfurt, reaching from the Western Taunus to the Rhine. It is situated in the German state of Hesse and is part of the Rhein ...
region. In 1876 Swiss-born professor Hermann Müller joined the institute, where he developed his namesake grape variety
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 Madelein ...
, which became Germany's most-planted grape variety in the 1970s. Professor Helmut Becker worked at the institute from 1964 until his death in 1989.Robinson, Jancis (Ed.) ''The Oxford Companion to Wine''. Oxford: Oxford University Press, second edition, 1999.
Academic Grade
Geisenheim is the only German institution to award higher
academic degree
An academic degree is a qualification awarded to students upon successful completion of a course of study in higher education, usually at a college or university. These institutions commonly offer degrees at various levels, usually including und ...
s in winemaking. Formally, undergraduate level viticulture and enology, ending with a bachelor's degree in engineering is awarded by the University of Applied Sciences in
Wiesbaden
Wiesbaden () is a city in central western Germany and the capital of the state of Hesse. , it had 290,955 inhabitants, plus approximately 21,000 United States citizens (mostly associated with the United States Army). The Wiesbaden urban area ...
, and the newly introduced master's degree is awarded by the Giessen University.
Breeds
* White:
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 Madelein ...
,
Arnsburger
Arnsburger is a white variety of grape used for wine. It was created 1939 by Heinrich Birk (1898-1973) at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute by crossing two clones of Riesling, clone 88 and clone 64.
,
Ehrenfelser
Ehrenfelser is a white wine grape variety of German origin. It was created by Dr. Heinrich Birk (1898-1973) at the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute in 1929, by crossing Riesling with what was thought at the time to be Silvaner, but DNA mark ...
Reichensteiner
Reichensteiner is a white wine grape that is mainly grown in Germany ( ''(2008 fig.)''), England ( ''(2010 fig.)''),Ehrenbreitsteiner, Prinzipal, Osteiner, Witberger,
Schönburger
Schönburger, also spelled Schoenburger, or Schonburger is a variety of grape, formally designated Geisenheim 15–114, a crossing developed at Geisenheim Institute for Grape Breeding in Germany, and released in 1979, of Pinot noir x (Chasselas ...
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented grapes. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different ...
*
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Roman era. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the state of Rhineland-Pala ...