Dunkelfelder

Red variety - Dunkelfelder

• General: The original variety name "Purpur" was rejected by the Bundessortenamt in 1980 when it was entered in the variety list. Replaced by "Dunkelfelder", the variety name simultaneously refers to the deep dark colour and the nebulous origin of the variety. In Edenkoben in the Palatinate, Gustav Fröhlich probably bred the variety before 1930, but no records of the cross have been preserved. In neighbouring Rhodt, cuttings of plants 276 a and b were planted and still form the origin of the cultivars of the Geisenheim Research Institute, the officially registered conservation breeder of the variety. A DNA analysis at the end of the 1990s identified the parent varieties Madeleine Angevine and Färbertraube ('Teinturier du Cher') as crossing partners. The variety has a subordinate role in the Palatinate, Baden and Rheinhessen for colour support in cuvées.
• Cluster: The medium-sized grapes are broadly stocky and often strongly shouldered to divided. The berries are round to slightly oval. Characteristically, the berry skin is often green to red-spotted before ripening. As they ripen, the grapes become grey-red, red-blue to blue-black and fragrant.
• Wine: Due to its deep dark, violet, almost black colour, Dunkelfelder is used in cuvees to intensify the colour. It is rarely found when vinified as a single varietal. When matured appropriately, it presents itself on the nose with cherry fruit and red berries, impresses with a mild acidity and a powerful fullness on the palate.
• Cultivation: Because of the very early shoots, the locations should be frost-free. Due to its weak growth, the variety thrives well on fertile, moist soils and strong-growing rootstocks. The variety is sensitive to Oidium. The slight tendency to trickle is conducive to a loosened grape structure. Due to the very early ripening, later and cooler sites should be chosen.