Cabernet Dorsa is a dark-skinned variety of grape

Grape

A grape is a non-climacteric fruit, specifically a berry, that grows on the perennial and deciduous woody vines of the genus Vitis. Grapes can be eaten raw or they can be used for making jam, juice, jelly, vinegar, wine, grape seed extracts, raisins, molasses and grape seed oil. Grapes are also...

 used for red wine

Wine

Wine is an alcoholic beverage, made of fermented fruit juice, usually from grapes. The natural chemical balance of grapes lets them ferment without the addition of sugars, acids, enzymes, or other nutrients. Grape wine is produced by fermenting crushed grapes using various types of yeast. Yeast...

. It was created at a grape breeding institute in Weinsberg

Weinsberg

Weinsberg is a town in the north of the German state Baden-Württemberg. It was founded ca. 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 11,800 inhabitants. It is noted for its wine...

 in the Württemberg

Württemberg (wine region)

Württemberg is a region for quality wine in Germany, and is located in the historical region of Württemberg in southwestern Germany, which today forms part of the federal state of Baden-Württemberg. Under German wine legislation, Württemberg and Baden are separate wine regions.With under vine in...

 wine region of Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

 in 1971 by crossing Dornfelder

Dornfelder

Dornfelder is a dark-skinned variety of grape of German origin used for red wine. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1955. Herold crossed the grape varieties Helfensteiner and Heroldrebe, the latter which bears his name, to...

 and Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon

Cabernet Sauvignon is one of the world's most widely recognized red wine grape varieties. It is grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates from Canada's Okanagan Valley to Lebanon's Beqaa Valley...

. Cabernet Dorsa received varietal protection and was released for general cultivation in 2003. The vines of Cabernet Dorsa show good winter hardiness and the grapes reach higher must weights than Dornfelder or Spätburgunder under typical German growing conditions.

In 2006, there were 214 hectares (528.8 acre) of Cabernet Dorsa in Germany, with an increasing trend. In 2000, before the variety's general release, there existed only 2.87 hectares (7.1 acre) of experimental plantations.

Cabernet Dorsa wines are deep in colour, rich in tannin, have noticeable aromas of cherry

Cherry

The cherry is the fruit of many plants of the genus Prunus, and is a fleshy stone fruit. The cherry fruits of commerce are usually obtained from a limited number of species, including especially cultivars of the wild cherry, Prunus avium....

 and bell peppers and are considered well suited for oak barrel aging.

It is known under the synonyms (breeding codes) We 71-817-92 with We denoting Weinsberg.