Rondo is a dark-skinned 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...

 variety, used for making 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 is a hybrid grape or inter-specific crossing. It was created in 1964 by Professor V. Kraus in then-Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia

Czechoslovakia or Czecho-Slovakia was a sovereign state in Central Europe which existed from October 1918, when it declared its independence from the Austro-Hungarian Empire, until 1992...

 by crossing the varieties Zarya Severa (a hybrid which has Vitis amurensis

Vitis amurensis

Vitis amurensis, the Amur grape, is a species of grape native to the Asian continent. Its name comes from the Amur Valley in Russia and China.It is very resistant to frost, but is not tolerant to drought...

in its pedigree

Plant breeding

Plant breeding is the art and science of changing the genetics of plants in order to produce desired characteristics. Plant breeding can be accomplished through many different techniques ranging from simply selecting plants with desirable characteristics for propagation, to more complex molecular...

) and St. Laurent

St. Laurent (grape)

St. Laurent is a highly aromatic dark-skinned wine grape variety of the same family as Pinot Noir, originating in France....

. He offered it to Dr. Helmut Becker

Helmut Becker

Helmut Becker , German viticulturist, was chief of the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute. He viewed viticulture from a global perspective and promoted the globalization of a quality wine industry. Dr...

 (1927-1990) of the Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute

Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute

The Geisenheim Grape Breeding Institute was founded in 1872 and is located in Geisenheim, Rheingau, Germany. In 1876 professor Hermann Müller from Switzerland joined the institution, where he developed his namesake variety Müller-Thurgau , which became the most planted grape variety in Germany in...

 who conducted further work on it, which explains why the grape is known under a Geisenheim designation. The variety has been protected since 1997.

This very early maturing variety possesses high resistance against winter frost and downy mildew

Downy mildew

Downy mildew refers to any of several types of oomycete microbes that are obligate parasites of plants. Downy mildews exclusively belong to Peronosporaceae. In commercial agriculture, they are a particular problem for growers of crucifers, grapes and vegetables that grow on vines...

 from its Asiatic Vitis amurensis parent. However annual treatments against powdery mildew may still be necessary in the vineyards. Rondo produces a ruby-red wine which is also used for blending. Rondo is cultivated in many locations in northern Europe

Europe

Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...

 where dark-skinned Vitis vinifera

Vitis vinifera

Vitis vinifera is a species of Vitis, native to the Mediterranean region, central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern Iran....

varieties are difficult to ripen properly, as it tends to yield good colour and aroma even in those locations. Rondo is cultivated in Rheinhessen

Rheinhessen

Rhenish Hesse refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine river and now part of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards, therefore it is also called the "land of the thousand hills." Its larger towns include:...

 and in many locations in northern Europe including Denmark

Danish wine

Danish wine is wine made in Denmark. Despite its northerly location, it has been developing a wine industry since the 20th century that has benefited from global warming and the legalization of wine production in 1999. Today there are small vineyards in Jutland and Lolland growing various grape...

, England, Ireland

Ireland

Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...

, the Netherlands

Netherlands

The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...

 and Sweden

Sweden

Sweden , officially the Kingdom of Sweden , is a Nordic country on the Scandinavian Peninsula in Northern Europe. Sweden borders with Norway and Finland and is connected to Denmark by a bridge-tunnel across the Öresund....

.

In 2011 the British winery Denbies picked up a gold prize in the International Wine Challenge

International Wine Challenge

The International Wine Challenge is an annual wine competition. The International Wine Challenge assesses every wine blind and judges each for its faithfulness to variety, region and vintage. Every wine is assessed independently of its price...

for their 2010 vintage Chalk Ridge Rose, a wine made entirely from Rondo grapes.