🍇 Donauveltliner

Donauveltliner is a white wine grape variety bred at the federal wine and fruit research institute (HBLA und Bundesamt für Wein- und Obstbau) in Klosterneuburg, Austria. The VIVC passport (variety number 25234) names Austria as the country of origin and Ferdinand Regner as the breeder; the cross Grüner Veltliner × Seyval blanc was made in 1996. The variety has white berry skin, hermaphrodite flowers, fully formed seeds and a neutral taste, and VIVC lists two synonyms, the breeding numbers KLBG 1979 and Klosterneuburg 1979-10-1-24.

In a presentation of new Klosterneuburg varieties, Regner gives breeding number 1979-10-1-24 (I 276): crossed in 1996, in wine-growing trials since 2001, and selected from 2,600 individuals of this population. The berries are round to oval (13–15 mm long, about 13 mm wide), weigh about 2 g (less than Grüner Veltliner) and have green-yellow skin and uncoloured flesh; the clusters are medium long (14–18 cm) and loose to medium dense. Budburst, flowering and ripening are medium, ripening before Grüner Veltliner. Winter frost resistance is very good; resistance to downy mildew (Plasmopara) and Botrytis is good and to powdery mildew (Oidium) very good, although plant protection is still needed. The vine tends to shed flowers, which gives loose clusters, and yields less than Grüner Veltliner.

The presentation describes the young wines as fruity and balanced, very similar to Grüner Veltliner, especially when mature. Because it ripens early and loses acidity, the variety is less suited to hot, dry areas; it prefers deep soils such as loess. Harvests in 2013–2015 gave must weights of 17.1 to 19.6 °KMW.

In the European Union a variety name may appear on a wine label if at least 85% of the wine comes from that variety (Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33).