Kerner

Kerner, the most successful german cross which, because of its Riesling-like wines, is still planted on 3,030 ha/7,484 acres of Germany, mainly in Pfalz and Rheinhessen. It is also relatively popular in Württemberg, where it was bred from a red parent trollinger (Schiava Grossa) × Riesling. The large white berries produce wines commendably close to Riesling in flavour except for their own leafy, sometimes candied and mawkish, aroma and slightly coarser texture. It is a cross which does not need to be subsumed in the blending vat but can produce respectable varietal wines, up to quite high prädikat levels, on its own account. Kerner is popular with growers as well as wine drinkers because of its late budding and therefore good frost resistance. The mere 82 ha/202 acres of Kerner noted in Italy’s 2010 vine census produce some widely admired wines in Alto Adige. It is also planted in Switzerland, England, Canada, quite successfully in japan, and to a very limited extent in South Africa.