🍇 Cardinal
Table variety with large red berries, bred in California in 1939.
Cardinal is an early table grape variety with large red berries, bred in 1939 in California by Elmer Snyder and Frank Harmon. According to VIVC, DNA markers show its parents to be Ribier (Alphonse Lavallée) and Reine des Vignes (Queen of the Vineyards); according to breeders' records, Flame Tokay and Ribier. VIVC lists it as both a table and a wine variety.
The Flame Tokay parentage has been disproved: in 2007 a study by Akkak and colleagues in the journal Genome showed that Cardinal cannot descend from that cross, and called it a case of a breeding error. The same study showed that Flame Tokay is a mutant form of the table variety Ahmer Bou Amer.
The variety spread around the world. According to VIVC, Spain had 5,775 ha in 1971 and 0.53 ha in 1999; Argentina 696 ha in 1992, Australia 382 ha in 1991, Morocco 150 ha in 1988, and France 1,483 ha in 1968 and 227 ha in 2006. According to Wikipedia, it is grown as a table grape and for raisins in the USA, Bulgaria, North Macedonia, Croatia, France, Italy, Romania, Spain and Portugal, and in Thailand and Vietnam it is widely used for wine.
Cardinal became the parent of many varieties: according to VIVC, its offspring include Blanc du Bois, Victoria, Arkadia and Irynka.
Why it matters to you. Cardinal is a table grape, so in most countries do not look for “Cardinal wines”. The old parentage “Flame Tokay × Ribier” still appears in reference books, although DNA analysis disproved it: distinguish the breeder's data from the marker data.
Facts
| Country | USA, California; E. Snyder and F. Harmon, 1939 1 2 |
|---|---|
| Cultivars | Ribier × Reine des Vignes by markers; Flame Tokay × Ribier by breeders 1 2 |
| Main use | Table (VIVC: also wine); for wine in Thailand and Vietnam 1 |
| Region | Spain: 5,775 ha (1971) → 0.53 ha (1999); Argentina 696 ha (1992) 1 |
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Cardinal → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Parents
- 🍇 Alphonse Lavallée, 🍇 Queen of the Vineyards
- Offspring
- 🍇 Blanc du Bois, 🍇 Gargiulo 4320, 🍇 Elmer Swenson 56, 🍇 Irinka, 🍇 Victoria, 🍇 Florida W 907, 🍇 Arkadia, 🍇 Azur, 🍇 Ora, 🍇 Sugraone
- Similar and different
- 🍇 Flame Tokay
Frequently asked questions
What is the Cardinal grape?
An early table variety with large red berries, bred in 1939 in California by E. Snyder and F. Harmon.
Who are the parents of Cardinal?
According to VIVC, by markers Ribier (Alphonse Lavallée) × Reine des Vignes; by breeders' records Flame Tokay × Ribier.
Is it true that Cardinal descends from Flame Tokay?
No. A 2007 study (Genome, 50:325–328) showed that Cardinal is not related to Flame Tokay, so the well-known parentage was a mistake.
Is Cardinal used for wine?
Mostly no: it is a table variety (VIVC also lists it as a wine variety). According to Wikipedia, it is widely used for wine in Thailand and Vietnam.
Where is Cardinal grown?
According to VIVC and Wikipedia, in Argentina (696 ha, 1992), Australia, Morocco, France, Italy and other countries; in Spain the area fell from 5,775 ha (1971) to 0.53 ha (1999).
What to read next
- 🍇 Sugraone — White table grape from the United States; 3 synonyms in VIVC.
- 🍇 Gargiulo 4320 — A pink table grape from Argentina (Cardinal × Sultana); the first parent of Flame Seedless, crossed in 1961.
- 🍇 Elmer Swenson 56 — A dark breeding number by Elmer Swenson, USA.
- 🍇 Irinka — A white table hybrid with the declared pedigree Moldova × Cardinal; according to VIVC, only 2 collections keep samples of it.
- 🍇 Azur — A black-berried Romanian table grape from Drăgășani (Coarnă Neagră × Cardinal), in Romania's official variety catalogue since 1984.
Similar
🍇 Dattier de Beyrouth · 🍇 Moldova · 🍇 Early Muscat · 🍇 Florida D 6-148 · 🍇 Black Rose · 🍇 Ribol
Sources
- VIVC. Cardinal (паспорт 2091)
- Akkak A., Boccacci P., Botta R. «Cardinal» grape parentage: a case of a breeding mistake. Genome 2007;50(3):325–328