Wine Arcana

Grape

St. Laurent

Also known as Saint Laurent, Sankt Laurent, Svatovavřinecké, Svätovavrinecké

St. Laurent is a dark-skinned Vitis vinifera grape associated with Austria and the Czech Republic. It produces deeply coloured reds with sour-cherry fruit and a firm yet potentially supple texture. Austrian vineyards are concentrated in the Thermenregion and around Lake Neusiedl; in Czech wine, the variety is known as Svatovavřinecké.

The Vitis International Variety Catalogue identifies Pinot Noir as one parent, with the other still unknown.1. Julius Kühn Institute, Vitis International Variety Catalogue, “Saint Laurent,” variety 10470, marker-confirmed pedigree “Pinot Noir × ?,” accessed 14 September 2026. Geographical accounts differ between the catalogue and Klosterneuburg's cultivar sheet. Its geographical origin is less secure. The catalogue lists France, while Klosterneuburg's viticultural institute considers Lower Austria probable. St. Laurent subsequently became a parent of Zweigelt, crossed with Blaufränkisch at Klosterneuburg.

Fruit set and autumn rain

St. Laurent's vineyard difficulties begin at flowering. Unfavourable conditions can disrupt fruit set, making yields irregular. Its sensitivity to late frost adds another source of crop loss, and shoots damaged by a spring freeze regenerate poorly.

The vine benefits from deep soils with an adequate water supply. Klosterneuburg identifies deep rooting space or irrigation as important to its cultivation. On shallow, dry sites, limited stored water can leave the vine short during summer growth and ripening.

Its compact bunches carry oval, blue-black berries with uncoloured flesh. The berries have a marked tendency to split. Rain near harvest can open the skins and encourage sour rot, so fruit condition can become decisive while growers wait for ripeness. Grey rot and downy mildew also require attention.

Colour, fruit, and maturation

Sour cherry is a useful point of recognition, with plum-like aromas common in fuller examples. The Czech National Wine Centre describes wines ranging from moderately full to full-bodied, with pronounced young character that can become more velvety in bottle. The wines are often deeply red, with tannin contributing to their firm youthful structure.

Colour develops through contact between juice and skins during maceration. Winemakers vary the duration and intensity of extraction, and fruit ripeness influences how the resulting tannin feels. Bottle maturation can soften the impression of a young, structured wine while its fresh fruit develops.

St. Laurent also has a place in Czech wines released young for the Svatomartinské season around St. Martin's Day in November. These give an early view of the harvest's fruit. More substantial bottlings allow time for the grape's initially assertive texture to settle.

Sources