Wine Arcana

Grape

Souvignier Gris

Souvignier Gris is a pink-skinned grape used principally for white wine. Bred at Freiburg, it combines useful disease resistance with the ability to make wines ranging from relatively quiet and textural to more aromatic. The colour of the berry also makes skin-contact methods an interesting part of its contemporary use.

Identity and cultivation

The State Viticultural Institute's current profile identifies the parents as Seyval Blanc and Zähringer.1. Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg, “Souvignier Gris,” current breeder profile; compare the older pedigree in the French observatory sheet. Older material naming Cabernet Sauvignon and Bronner preserves an earlier pedigree and should be read with that correction in mind.

The breeder describes upright, vigorous growth, firm berries, relatively late budbreak, and the tendency to produce secondary bunches. The crop and canopy consequently need attention even when resistance reduces the disease burden.

French experimental work compiled by the resistant-variety observatory records wines ranging from citrus-like to more tropical impressions. It also reports that powdery mildew can progress under strong pressure in untreated vines. Resistance provides an agricultural advantage with limits set by the pathogen and the growing conditions.

An Alpine cellar example

Thomas Niedermayr in Alto Adige describes using Souvignier Gris for still wines, skin-fermented wines, and blends. The estate emphasizes its relatively neutral character among the resistant varieties it grows. This leaves room for texture and the effects of maceration to shape the wine.

That range helps explain its appeal beyond the breeding station. Growers can pursue reduced disease susceptibility while making stylistic choices that belong to their own place and cellar.

Sources