🍇 Welschriesling
A white wine grape of Central Europe, unrelated to true Riesling.
Welschriesling is a white wine grape also known as Riesling Italico, Graševina and Olaszrizling. Despite the name, it is no relation of true Riesling.
The VIVC catalogue considers Italy the variety's homeland. According to DNA markers, one of its parents is the dark-skinned Coccalona Nera; the other is unknown. Riesling, by contrast, comes from Germany, and its confirmed parent is Gouais Blanc, also called Heunisch. The two varieties share no confirmed parents, so the resemblance is in the name only.
The variety's main name in the VIVC catalogue is Welschriesling, and there are 92 synonyms in all, including Graševina, Olaszrizling, Laški rizling and Riesling Italico. So many names show how widely the variety spread across Central Europe.
According to the OIV, in 2015 the variety covered 4,000 ha in Hungary, almost 6% of the vineyards, and was among the country's five most widespread varieties. The OIV statistics put it exactly that way: “Grasevina / Welschriesling”. However, from 2009 to 2015 its area there shrank faster than that of most other varieties.
Why it matters to you. Don't mix them up: “Welschriesling”, “Olaszrizling” or “Graševina” on a label is a different variety from “Riesling”. A variety name on a wine from the EU means at least 85% of that variety, and if several are named, the wine is made from them alone. White wine is served at 4–10 °C and stored lying down at 10–16 °C.
How it connects to Wine
🍇 Welschriesling → kind of → 🍇 Grape varieties → kind of → 🍷 Wine
Links
- Traditions
- Croats
- Part of
- 🍇 Grape varieties
- Origin
- 🗺️ Croatian wine, 🗺️ Italian wine
- Where it grows
- Hungary: 📍 Upper Hungary, 📍 Mátra, 📍 Bükk, 📍 Balaton, 📍 Badacsony, 📍 Balaton-felvidék, 📍 Balatonfüred-Csopak, 📍 Zala, 📍 Neszmély, 📍 Pannonhalma, 📍 Pécs
Croatia: 📍 Slavonia and Croatian Danube, 📍 Slavonia, 📍 Croatian Danube, 📍 Croatian Uplands, 📍 Prigorje-Bilogora, 📍 Pokuplje
Slovenia: 📍 Podravje, 📍 Styrian Slovenia, 📍 Prekmurje, 📍 Posavje, 📍 Bizeljsko-Sremič, 📍 White Carniola
Ukraine: 📍 Zakarpattia, 📍 Mukachevo, 📍 Uzhhorod, 📍 Serednie
Austria: 📍 Burgenland, 📍 Neusiedlersee, 📍 Styriaand 6 more
Czechia: 📍 Moravia, 📍 Mikulov, 📍 Slovácko
Slovakia: 📍 Southern Slovakia, 📍 Central Slovakia, 📍 Eastern Slovakia - Main grape in
- Hungary: 📍 Badacsony, 📍 Nagy-Somló, 📍 Balaton, 📍 Balatonfüred-Csopak, 📍 Eger, 📍 Mátra, 📍 Neszmély, 📍 Pannonhalma, 📜 Somló, 📍 Balaton-felvidék
Austria: 📍 Neusiedlersee, 📍 Styria, 📍 Burgenland, 📍 Lower Austria, 📜 Ruster Ausbruch, 📍 Vulkanland Steiermark, 📍 Südsteiermark, 📜 Viennese Gemischter Satz, 📜 Steirerland
Croatia: 📍 Slavonia, 📍 Croatian Danube, 📍 Moslavina, 📜 Eastern Continental Croatia
Slovakia: 📍 Little Carpathians, 📍 Southern Slovakia, 📍 Nitra, 📜 Carpathian Pearl
Slovenia: 📍 Styrian Slovenia, 📍 Prekmurje - Related to
- 🗺️ Slovak wine, 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Reserve, 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Blanc de Blancs, 🍷 Mayer am Pfarrplatz Wiener Klassik, 🍷 Mayer am Pfarrplatz Beethoven Viennese White, 🍷 Mayer am Pfarrplatz Sekt Brut, 🍷 Sweet wine
- Parents
- 🍇 Coccalona Nera
- Offspring
- 🍇 Goldburger, 🍇 Șarba
- Similar and different
- 🍇 Grüner Veltliner
Frequently asked questions
Is Welschriesling related to true Riesling?
No. According to VIVC DNA data, they have no confirmed parents in common; only the names are similar.
Where does the variety come from?
The VIVC gives Italy. One parent is the dark-skinned Coccalona Nera; the other is unknown.
What other names does Welschriesling go by?
Graševina, Olaszrizling, Laški rizling, Riesling Italico; in all, the VIVC counts 92 synonyms.
Is it true that Graševina and Welschriesling are different varieties?
No, it is one variety under different names. The OIV statistics for Hungary put it exactly that way: “Grasevina / Welschriesling”.
Where is a lot of it grown?
In Hungary, for example: according to the OIV, 4,000 ha in 2015, almost 6% of the country's vineyards.
What to read next
- 🗺️ Croatian wine — The wine of Croatia: 19,938 ha of vines and 603 thousand hl of wine (2024), 4 wine regions, 18 PDOs; the most widely planted grape is Graševina.
- 📍 Lower Austria — Austria's largest wine state, along the Danube: 28,574 ha (2020), about 62 % of the country's vineyards; the main grape is Grüner Veltliner.
- Croats — Croats (Hrvati) are the main population of Croatia; on this site: Dalmatian pršut, Slavonian kulen, Plavac Mali and Dingač, Pag cheese, the Oblica olive, Zagorje honey and maraschino.
- 🍷 Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Reserve — Schloss Gobelsburg Brut Reserve: sparkling wine by Schloss Gobelsburg from Langenlois; Sekt Austria Reserve Niederösterreich g.U..
- 🍇 Grüner Veltliner — Austria's main grape: 32.3% of the country's vineyards (2025); one of its parents is Traminer.
Similar
🍇 Plavac Mali · 🍇 Blaufränkisch · 🍇 Grüner Veltliner · 🍇 Pinot Blanc · 🍇 Traminer · 🍇 Furmint
Sources
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Welschriesling, pedigree confirmed by DNA markers
- OIV Focus 2017: Distribution of the world's grapevine varieties
- VIVC (Vitis International Variety Catalogue): passport Riesling Weiss, pedigree confirmed by DNA markers
- Commission Delegated Regulation (EU) 2019/33, Art. 49–50 (vintage year, wine grape varieties on the label)
- Simons C.T. Left out in the cold: Serving wines chilled. Temperature, 2019