Optima (grape)
Encyclopedia
Optima is a white wine
grape
that was created by viticulturalist
Peter Morio at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in the Palatinate
in 1930. Morio crossed a Riesling
x Silvaner
cross with Müller-Thurgau
. The Riesling x Silvaner is sometimes mentioned as Rieslaner
, but more often just as "a Riesling x Silvaner". Due to the random element of genetic recombination
involved in sexual reproduction
of plant
s, no two crosses of the same parent grape varieties will be identical, so there is a difference between the Riesling x Silvaner cross Rieslaner, and each other such cross.
Optima received varietal protection and was released for general cultivation in 1970 and 1971, respectively. Its name is derived from the Latin language word for "the best".
Optima ripens very early, even before other varieties which are considered as early ripening, such as Müller-Thurgau
. Its late budding made it popular in the Mosel region, since it thus was less prone to frost damage. It can also grow on poor sites, where more demanding grape varieties such as Riesling do not ripen very reliably. It also easily achieves very impressive must weight
s, resulting in its use as a booster of Prädikat levels and sweetness in cheap German blended wines, primarily in Rheinhessen
and Mosel. This use is similar to the variety Ortega
.
Varietal wines made from Optima grapes are usually yellow-green in colour, can show aromas similar to Riesling, but are lower in acidity. For this reason they have been described as "flabby and undistinguished", and as mentioned above, primarily used in blends.
German plantings of Optima peaked at 420 hectares (1,037.8 acre) in 1990, but in similarity with many other new breeds of white German grapes, Optima has lost popularity in recent years. It is now grown on less than 100 hectares (247.1 acre) of vineyards in Germany. The remaining plantations are found primarily in Mosel and Rheinhessen.
It is known under the synonyms (breeding codes) Geilweilerhof 33-13-113 and Gf. 33-13-113.
Optima was used in a crossing to produce the grape variety Orion
.
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...
grape
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...
that was created by 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 1930. Morio crossed a Riesling
Riesling
Riesling is a white grape variety which originated in the Rhine region of Germany. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet and sparkling white wines. Riesling wines are usually varietally...
x Silvaner
Silvaner
Sylvaner or Silvaner is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace and Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. In Germany it is best known as a component of Liebfraumilch and production boomed in the 1970s to the detriment of quality, but it has long enjoyed a better...
cross with Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
. The Riesling x Silvaner is sometimes mentioned as Rieslaner
Rieslaner
Rieslaner is a breed cross of the Silvaner and Riesling grape that was first bred in Veitshöcheim, Franconia, Germany in 1921 by the grape breeder August Ziegler. It is a late ripening grape that is fairly high in acidity. Today it is mostly grown in the Franconia region and in the Palatinate ...
, but more often just as "a Riesling x Silvaner". Due to the random element of genetic recombination
Genetic recombination
Genetic recombination is a process by which a molecule of nucleic acid is broken and then joined to a different one. Recombination can occur between similar molecules of DNA, as in homologous recombination, or dissimilar molecules, as in non-homologous end joining. Recombination is a common method...
involved in sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction
Sexual reproduction is the creation of a new organism by combining the genetic material of two organisms. There are two main processes during sexual reproduction; they are: meiosis, involving the halving of the number of chromosomes; and fertilization, involving the fusion of two gametes and the...
of plant
Plant
Plants are living organisms belonging to the kingdom Plantae. Precise definitions of the kingdom vary, but as the term is used here, plants include familiar organisms such as trees, flowers, herbs, bushes, grasses, vines, ferns, mosses, and green algae. The group is also called green plants or...
s, no two crosses of the same parent grape varieties will be identical, so there is a difference between the Riesling x Silvaner cross Rieslaner, and each other such cross.
Optima received varietal protection and was released for general cultivation in 1970 and 1971, respectively. Its name is derived from the Latin language word for "the best".
Optima ripens very early, even before other varieties which are considered as early ripening, such as Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau
Müller-Thurgau is a variety of white grape which was created by Hermann Müller from the Swiss Canton of Thurgau in 1882. It is a crossing of Riesling with Madeleine Royale. It is used to make white wine in Germany, Austria, Northern Italy, Hungary, England, in Australia, Czech Republic, Slovakia,...
. Its late budding made it popular in the Mosel region, since it thus was less prone to frost damage. It can also grow on poor sites, where more demanding grape varieties such as Riesling do not ripen very reliably. It also easily achieves very impressive must weight
Must weight
Must weight is a measure of the amount of sugar in grape juice , and hence indicates the amount of alcohol that could be produced if it is all fermented to alcohol, rather than left as residual sugar...
s, resulting in its use as a booster of Prädikat levels and sweetness in cheap German blended wines, primarily in Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen (wine region)
Rheinhessen is the largest of 13 German wine regions for quality wines with under cultivation in 2008. Named for the traditional region of Rhenish Hesse, it lies on the left bank of the River Rhine between Worms and Bingen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate...
and Mosel. This use is similar to the variety Ortega
Ortega (grape)
Ortega is a grape variety used for white wine. It was created in 1948 by Hans Breider at the Bayerischen Landesanstalt für Wein-, Obst- und Gartenbau in Würzburg and was released with varietal protection in 1981. It is a cross between Müller-Thurgau and Siegerrebe...
.
Varietal wines made from Optima grapes are usually yellow-green in colour, can show aromas similar to Riesling, but are lower in acidity. For this reason they have been described as "flabby and undistinguished", and as mentioned above, primarily used in blends.
German plantings of Optima peaked at 420 hectares (1,037.8 acre) in 1990, but in similarity with many other new breeds of white German grapes, Optima has lost popularity in recent years. It is now grown on less than 100 hectares (247.1 acre) of vineyards in Germany. The remaining plantations are found primarily in Mosel and Rheinhessen.
It is known under the synonyms (breeding codes) Geilweilerhof 33-13-113 and Gf. 33-13-113.
Optima was used in a crossing to produce the grape variety Orion
Orion (grape)
Orion is a white wine grape variety of German origin. It was created by Dr. Gerhardt Alleweldt at the Geilweilerhof Institute for Grape Breeding in Siebeldingen in 1964, by crossing the Vitis vinifera variety Optima with the hybrid grape Villard Blanc...
.