🍇 Solaris

Solaris is a white wine grape variety bred in Germany. According to the VIVC catalogue, it was crossed by Norbert Becker at the State Viticulture Institute in Freiburg in 1975, and it received plant variety protection in 2001. Solaris is listed in the European catalogue of varieties.

According to the breeder, the parents of Solaris are the variety Merzling and the breeding line Geisenheim 6493. Merzling in turn descends from Seyval blanc and a cross of Riesling with Pinot gris. Geisenheim 6493 is an interspecific cross of the variety Severnyi with Muscat Ottonel. So the pedigree of Solaris includes more than just European grapes.

It is from these distant ancestors that the variety got its resistance. VIVC lists several resistance loci for it, among them Rpv10 — resistance to downy mildew, which is caused by Plasmopara viticola. According to the catalogue, this locus comes from the Amur grape (Vitis amurensis).

According to VIVC, the area under Solaris in Germany has grown steadily: 19 ha in 2001, 81 ha in 2010 and 190 ha in 2020. The catalogue also notes that the variety has offspring — it is used to breed new varieties.

Why it matters to you. In catalogues Solaris may appear under the breeding number Freiburg 240-75 or FR 240-75 — it is the same variety. If the variety is named on a wine from the EU, at least 85% of the bottle is that variety. White wine is served at 4–10 °C: a bottle straight from the fridge should stand for half an hour. Store it lying down, at 10–16 °C.