| Grape variety |
Kerner |
| Synonyms |
triumpf herold, 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. |
| Grape colour |
White grape |
| Vigour |
Good |
| Ripening |
Early |
| Areas of cultivation |
The Kerner is cultivated in Germany, Austria, Switzerland and, in Italy, in South Tyrol / South Tyrol where its wine has obtained the DOC (Denomination of Controlled Origin) in 1993. |
| History |
Kerner is a white grape variety grown widely across Germany. It was first bred in Wurttemberg in 1929 by crossing Riesling and Trollinger (Schiava Grossa), and was named for Justinus Kerner, a 19th-Century German poet and writer of drinking songs. Kerner is used in blends (like the infamous Liebfraumilch) and to make varietal wines, which show attractive apple, pear and citrus characteristics, sometimes with a hint of stonefruit. |
| Ampelographic features |
Leaf: medium-small, pentagonal, pentalobata; Surface of the upper bulging side, contour of the flap; V-shaped pectoral breast with slightly superimposed edges; Lateral veins above V with slightly overlapping edges, lower ones open.
Bunch: small, short, conical, winged, spatula.
Acino: medium-small, spheroidal; Slightly pebbled skin, thin, tender, green-yellow color. |
| Characteristics of the wine obtained from this grape variety |
The wine obtained from the kerner is transparent with straw yellow color, sometimes with golden reflections. The scents are intense, often with a pitch of muscat; Fresh aromas offer a tasty mixture of white mixed fruit with apple notes, grapefruit and a tropical mango blossom. In the mouth it is like Riesling, fresh and fruity, with less acidity but with more body. |
| Notes |
The Kerner has late germination and is therefore less susceptible to spring frosts. If grown on sloping slopes it can reach up to 8-900 m.s.l, and this makes it a vine particularly suitable for mountain viticulture. It is a very vigorous vine and this requires a careful green harvest. |