Winegrowers Supplies
- Vine variety information
Schönburger
Mother: Spätburgunder (Pinot Noir)
Father: I. Pirovano 1 (Chasselas rosa x Muscat Hamburg)
Year of breeding:
Country of origin: Germany
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: 1980
Area planted in Germany in 1986: 66 hectares (mainly Rheinhessan and Rheinpfalz)
Area planted in England (as at August 2004): 51.5 hectares, 5th largest
Wine Character - colour: yellow-green
- bouquet: finely aromatic, Gewürztraminer-like
- palate: spicy, soft, usually fruity
If the wine hasn't sufficient acidity the fruity flavour disappears, and the
Muscat flavour becomes predominant. It is generally unattractive as dry 'Trocken' wine (with less
than about 9 gms/litre of residual sugar) so some addition of süss-reserve is usually made.
photo by Julius Kühn-Institut (JKI), Federal Research Centre for Cultivated Plants, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof - 76833 Siebeldingen, Germany.
Time of bud-burst: early-middle
Strength of growth: medium-strong, upright
Growth of side-shoots: low-medium
Flowering time: middle
Flowering strength: high (reliable fruit set)
Leaf: - size: small-medium
- shape: five-lobed
- colour:
- surface undulation: slight - petiolar sinus: V-form (occasionally closed)
Grape bunch: - size: medium -
density: medium
Berries: - size: medium
- shape: slightly oval
- skin colour:
pink
Time of veraison: early-middle
Time of harvest: 10 to 14 days after Reichensteiner and at least one week
before Kerner. The strong skin of the berries gives good protection against
Botrytis so the harvest can be late. In spite of the sound berries it is
important that the grapes are harvested so that there will be a 'lively' acidity
in the wine; above 60° Oechsle the acidity drops very quickly, so it must be
monitored carefully - harvest when the acidity is between 9 and 10 gms/litre.
Birds really love these sweet juicy berries, so protective netting or 'scaring'
will probably be necessary.
Grape yield: medium (on the low side of medium)
Must-weight: medium-high
Must-acidity: very low - low (the acidity falls very quickly as ripening progresses)
Wood ripening: good
Winter hardiness: good
Wood colour: dark red-brown with pale brown stripes
Chlorosis resistance: medium
Susceptibility to - Oidium: low
- Peronospora:
- Botrytis: low
- Roter Brenner:
- Phomopsis:
- Stem-atrophy: very low, the stems are strong
Preferred soil: medium to deep, fine, rich and fertile (well manured). Not dry, stony soil.
Suitable rootstocks: SO4 or 5C for normal soils, possibly 125AA on weak-growing soil.
Normal stem height: 0.6 to 0.8m
Normal row spacing: 1.8 to 2.2m
Vine spacing in the row: 1.2 to 1.4m
also suitable for wide-planting systems.
Winter Pruning: 8 to 10 eyes/buds per sq. metre of land occupied by the plant. Growth is much better on long wood than short, so it is very important to choose long fruiting canes for tying down.
Advantages: The general robustness of the variety means there are no viticultural problems; relatively little leaf-work is involved and it is very easy to grow. Resistance to diseases is good. It can also be grown as a Table grape. Blends well with Orion.
Disadvantages: Lowish yield (significantly less than Bacchus, Kerner, Reichensteiner) which is why it has not been widely accepted in Germany. If the acidity falls too low the wine becomes insignificant.