Historical grape variety wines suddenly appear - as if out of the blue.

On March 28th we published a post 'Andreas Jung, intrepid grape hunter and archaeologist'. This told the strory of this exceptional person, Andreas Jung who had found 58 white varieties and 37 red ones in the Sudpfalz vineyard area and was trying to re-establish them, some from the small nooks and crannies where they had lingered on since the middle ages and beyond. Many had been assumed to have been extinct.

In particular the varieties for possible winemaking wereconsidered to be

Affenthaler
Schwarzurban
Blauer Elbling
Zinfandel
Grünfränkisch
Adelfränkisch
Räuschling
Kleinberger
Honigler
Roter Veltliner.

Andreas Jung

Ulrich Martin

You can read  in our post of 28.3.17 what efforts were being made to realize this ambition including a 'Paterschaft' scheme (a version of 'adopt-a-vine') but the initiative was costly as professional assistance had to be called in, Andreas Jung being a scientist and not predominantly a 'Winzer.'

Wine had been made from grapes including Orleans Gelb but the word was that it was excessively acidic and didn't find favour. Sadly that seemed to be the end of the project and we left it there in spite of having been keen to acquire a bottle just for interest.

Sam Doncaster (right) with Paul Troop at the Plumpton College Blattner tasting.

Fast forward to January 2020 when our good friend Sam Doncaster, arch PIWI proponent, sent us a leaflet from Germany put out by a familiar company, Rebschule Martin (whom we had known previously as producers of PIWI vines for Germany and abroad) together with Andreas Jung himself offering 'Historische Rebsorten' under the rubric 'Schmecken Sie die Geschichte.'

Taste history

It seems that Ulrich Martin has propagated the following 'Jungian' varieties;

Grünfränkisch
Blauer Hängling
Schwarzurban
Grüner Adelfränkisch
Bettlertraube
Schwarzblauer Riesling
Blauer Muskateller
Roter Veltliner (more common in Austria. Rare in Germany)
Schwarzblauer Affenthaler
Weisser Lagler (Synonym for Arbane)
Schwarzer Heunisch (Heunisch = Gouais, but according to 'Wine Grapes' a black mutation of Gouais has never been observed)
Gelber Kleinberger
Blauer Kölner
Schlehentraube
Zinfandel (the same Primitivo/Kratoshija/Crljenak Kaštelanski variety as found in California)
Süssschwarz
Blauer Gänsfusser
Muskat-Gutedel (natural Muscat/Chasselas crossing)
Roter Muskateller
Roter Hänisch
Weisser Räuschling (aka Räuschling)
Schwarzer Malvasier
Weisser Traminer
Blauer Elbling (morphologically and genetically distinct from white Elbling)
Fränkischer Burgunder (nothing to do with Spatburgunder or Pinot Noir)
Hartblau
Arbst

From these, 8 wines have been made and are now listed on the 'Historische Rebsorten' site;

2016 Red Cuvee from Schwarzurban, Sussschwarz, Hartblau, Frankischer Burgunder and Arbst (no longer available). '[Arten-] Vielfalt' 13%

2017 Fränkischer Burgunder 'Der echte späte Burgunder' 13.5%

2017 Hartblau 'Älteste Rotweinsorte Deutschlands' 13.5%

2018 Roter Veltliner '2017 Wiesoppenheimer „Vom heiligen Häuschen“ ' 13%

2018 Blauer Muskateller 'Ursorte aus Indien' 11.5%

2018 Gelber Kleinberger  'Weinanbau in der Kleinen Eiszeit' 12.5%

2018 Grüner Adelfränkisch 'Edelsorte im Mittelalter' 12%

2018 Grünfränkisch 'Wein der Liebfrauenmilch' 13%

2018 Weisser Räuschling 'Berauschte schon im 10. Jahrhundert' 12%

Each grape has been given a red number

You may still be able to get them from schmecken-sie-die-geschichte. All are white apart from the red cuvee of course.

We enquired about the 'Probierpaket' of 6 wines at 97,90 € but shipping was only within Germany. To our amazement the next thing we knew, there was a delivery to us of this 6-pack in London without so much as a bill enclosed. Our plea for a bill has so far gone unanswered although we are sure one will be forthcoming in the fullness of time, 'Spedizion' costs being what they are. Still there is a serious point here; Messers Martin and Jung are obviously passionate about sharing their fascinating discoveries and important work in reviving these historical varieties.

We noticed on the website another cuvee which is not part of the Historische Rebsorten series but a wine from Andreas Jung's 'Rebenpatenschaft' (adopt-a-grape) initiative called 'Alte Sorten' bearing the name Weingut Andreas Jung 'Rebsortenarchiv' of the Sudpfalzweinberg. This wine is a 'Rotling' which apperently is a mixture of white and red grapes (sometimes called promiscuous) described as a "Historischer Mischsatz mit über 100 Sorten" - Ein Wein wie aus dem Mittelalter.

The '100 Sorten' may include many of the following list of varieties identified by Andreas in the South Pfalz vineyard and first quoted in our 2017 post:

The 58 white varieties in the Sudpfalz Weinberg; 

• Adelfränkisch / Weißer Grünling
• Agostenga / Früher Leipziger / Frühweißer Malvasier
• Alexandriner Muskat (*)
• Alicante Weiße
• Augster Gelber
• Auxerrois / Kleiner Heunisch / Moselriesling
• Bouquettraube
• Bukett-Silvaner
• Chardonnay / Echter weißer Burgunder
• Corinthe Weiße
• Edler Weißer Tokayer / Furmint
• Elbling Weißer
• Elbling Roter
• Frühe Lahntraube
• Frühmuskat
• Fütterer Weißer
• Geisdutte Weiße / (falsche) Geisdutte Weiße (*)
• Gewürztraminer Roter
• Grauburgunder / Tokayer Grauer
• Gros Meslier / Großer Honigler
• Grünfränkisch Weißer
• Großer Veltliner Violetter
• Gutedel Weißer / Chasselas blanc
• Hartheunisch Gelber / Braunes
• Hänisch Roter / Pamid
• Heunisch Roter (*)
• Heunisch Weißer / Grobweisse
• Heunisch Dreifarbiger
• Honigler Gelber
• Kleinberger
• Kleinedel
• Lagler Weißer / Später Malvasier Weißer
• Madeleine Angevine
• Mädchentraube Weiße / Feteasca alba
• Mittelgroßer Veltliner Roter
• Muskateller Roter
• Muskat-Gutedel Weißer
• Ortlieber Früher Gelber
• Rosenkranz Weißer / Fitzrebe
• Petersiliengutedel
• Plantscher / Gros Bourgogne (*)
• Räuschling Weißer
• Räuschling Roter
• Riesling Weißer
• Rugische Rebe (Rak Szölo)
• Scheurebe
• Seidentraube Gelbe / Luglienga bianca / Luganer-Rebe
• Silvaner Grüner
• Silvaner Blauer
• Tokayer Weißer
• Traminer Weißer
• Traminer Roter
• Versoalin Weißer (*)
• Visitator (fränkischer Fütterer)
• Vogelfränkische Weiße
• Weißburgunder / Pinot Blanc
• Welschriesling Weißer

The 37 red varieties;

• Affenthaler Blauer
• Arbst Blauer
• Black Prince
• Blank Blauer (*)
• Champagner Blauer / Blauer Kölner
• Champagne-Traube Schwarze / Schwarzer Prinz
• Claret Ordinärer Blauer (*)
• Clävner
• Cot (Kaiserstuhl)
• Cot Rouge (*)
• Elbling Blauer
• Frühe Violette
• Geisdutte Blaue (*)
• Gouais noir / Blauer Lampart
• Hartblau / Auvernat tinto
• Heunisch Blauer / Sehr Später Burgunder
• Kleiner Fränkischer Burgunder / Pinot Franc
• Hrvatica Blaue / Crevatizza / Kroatische Traube (*)
• Kracher Blauer / Bettlertraube
• Malbek
• Möhrchen (*)
• Mohrenkönig
• Morillon tocony
• Muskat-Gutedel Blauer
• Oeil de morion
• Portugieser blauer
• Samtrot
• Schaaftraube / Mohrenkönigin
• Schlehentraube
• Spätburgunder Blauer / Pinot noir
• Schwarzriesling / Pinot Meunier
• Süßroth / Tauberschwarz
• Süßblau
• Süßschwarz
• Trollinger Blauer
• Tschagelle Vernatsch (*)
• Zinfandel / Primitivo /Kratosija

(*) fewer than 4 vines extant!


A whole movement

There are over 20 other producers who have planted historic vines from Rebschule Martin. One of these actually had a historic variety, Grünfränkisch in their vineyard which they had mistaken for Weissburgunder (Pinot Blanc). A few of these help out with the bottling of wines from historic grape varieties of other vineyards.

Surely all this constitutes a whole movement?

Stefan Böhm                                               Gruner Affenthaler, Schwarzurban, Weisser Rauschling
Weingut Hermann Dorflinger                     Muskat-Gutedel
Weingut Eller                                              Bettlertraube
Familie Ellwanger                                      Schwarzurban
Weingut Jacob Steffen Erben                     Gelber Kleinberger
Familie Goldschmidt                                  Grunfrankisch
Michael Gutzler                                         Frankischer Burgunder, Arbst
Weingut Tobias Hahn                                 Gruenfrankisch, Hartblau, Sussschwarz
Matthias Herber                                         Blauer Elbling
Andreas Jung                                              'immense Vielzahl' (over 100 varieties)
Jonas Kiefer                                               Roter Veltliner, Grunfrankisch, Frankischer Burgunder
Weingut Leonhardt                                    Gelber Kleinberger, Weisser Rauschling, Roter Veltliner
Ulrich Martin                                             Gruner Adelfrankisch, Hartblau, Schwarzurban, Suss-
                                                                   schwarz, Weisser Rauschling, Weisser Traminer, Gelber
                                                                   Kleinberger, Blauer Muskateller, Grunfrankisch,
                                                                   Schwarzblauer Riesling, Blauer Gansfusser, Blauer
                                                                   Hangling
Martin Metzler                                          Arbst, Frankischer Burgunder, Hartblau
Schloss Reinhartshausen                           Gruner Adelfrankisch, Grunfrankisch, Roter Veltliner,
                                                                  Weisser Traminer,
Familie Richter                                         Gelber Kleinberger, Gruner Adelfrankisch, Affenthaler,
                                                                  Grunfrankisch, Weisser Traminer
Stefan Sander                                            Grunfrankisch, Frankischer Burgunder
Heiner Sauer                                             Grunfrankisch
Klaus Scheu                                              Grunfrankisch (aka 'Philipp Cuntz')
Weingut Schmitt                                       Arbst, Grunfrankisch
Winzerhof Schmitt                                   Gruner Adelfrankisch
Stefan Steinmetz                                       Frankischer Burgunder, Hartblau, Schwarzblauer               
                                                                  Affenthaler, Schwarzurban, Sussschwarz
Hanspeter Ziereisen                                  Arbst, Muskat-Gutedel

One of Andreas Jung's vineyards. Spot the 100 varieties.