Domina (grape)
Encyclopedia
Domina is a dark-skinned variety of grape
used for red wine
. It was created by German
viticulturalist
Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in the Palatinate
in 1927 by crossing the varieties Blauer Portugieser
and Pinot Noir
(known in Germany as Spätburgunder).
Work on the variety was the continued by Bernhard Husfeld at the same institute in the 1950s. The variety received protection and was released for general cultivation in 1974.
In 2006, there were 395 hectares (976.1 acre) of Domina in Germany, with an increasing trend. Domina plantings are primarily found in Franconia
. Domina wines are dark red and rich in tannin.
Domina gives high yields and is not very demanding with respect to vineyard conditions. It ripens later than its parent Blauer Portugieser but earlier than its parent Pinot Noir. Domina wines are full-bodied and have a deep colour, but are not considered as elegant as German-grown Spätburgunder.
Grape
A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...
used for red wine
Wine
Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...
. It was created by German
viticulturalist
Viticulture
Viticulture is the science, production and study of grapes which deals with the series of events that occur in the vineyard. When the grapes are used for winemaking, it is also known as viniculture...
Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in the Palatinate
Palatinate (wine region)
Palatinate is a German wine-growing region in the area of Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and Landau in Rhineland-Palatinate. Before 1993, it was known as Rhine Palatinate . With under cultivation in 2008, the region is the second largest wine region in Germany after Rheinhessen...
in 1927 by crossing the varieties Blauer Portugieser
Blauer Portugieser
Blauer Portugieser is a red Austrian and German wine grape found primarily in the Rheinhessen, Pfalz and wine regions of Lower Austria. It is also one of the permitted grapes in the Hungarian wine Egri Bikavér . In Germany, the cultivated area covered or 4.5% of the total vineyard area in 2007...
and Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
(known in Germany as Spätburgunder).
Work on the variety was the continued by Bernhard Husfeld at the same institute in the 1950s. The variety received protection and was released for general cultivation in 1974.
In 2006, there were 395 hectares (976.1 acre) of Domina in Germany, with an increasing trend. Domina plantings are primarily found in Franconia
Franconia (wine region)
Franconia is a region for quality wine in Germany situated in the north west of Bavaria in the district of Franconia, and is the only wine region in the federal state of Bavaria...
. Domina wines are dark red and rich in tannin.
Domina gives high yields and is not very demanding with respect to vineyard conditions. It ripens later than its parent Blauer Portugieser but earlier than its parent Pinot Noir. Domina wines are full-bodied and have a deep colour, but are not considered as elegant as German-grown Spätburgunder.