Huxelrebe
Encyclopedia
Huxelrebe is a white grape
used for wine
. Huxelrebe is primarily found in Germany
, where the cultivated area covered 677 hectares (1,672.9 acre) in 2006, with a decreasing trend. It is primarily found in the German wine regions Rheinhessen
, Palatinate
and Nahe
. Small plantations are also found in England
.
s, primarily sweet wines as an apéritif
or dessert wine
, and it usually can reach Auslese
ripness even in a lesser year. The wines tend to be high in acidity and have aromas of rhubarb
s. Higher-end Huxelrebe wines made from riper grapes often have muscat-like
aromas in addition.
viticulturalist Dr. Georg Scheu (1879-1949) in 1927, when he was working as director of a grape-breeding institute in Alzey
in Rheinhessen
, by crossing Gutedel (Chasselas
) with Courtiller Musqué (Muscat Précoce de Saumur
). It received varietal protection in 1969.
Initially known under its breeding code Alzey S 3962, the variety was named after viticulturalist and nursery
owner Fritz Huxel (1892-1972), who was the first to cultivate it extensively. This took place in the 1950s in Westhofen
, Rheinhessen
, and Huxel became an important champion of the variety. Huxel won many prices for his Huxelrebe wines. The Rebe part of the name is German
for vine
.
3962 or AS 3962.
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 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...
. Huxelrebe is primarily found in 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...
, where the cultivated area covered 677 hectares (1,672.9 acre) in 2006, with a decreasing trend. It is primarily found in the German wine regions Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen (wine region)
Rheinhessen is the largest of 13 German wine regions for quality wines with under cultivation in 2008. Named for the traditional region of Rhenish Hesse, it lies on the left bank of the River Rhine between Worms and Bingen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate...
, Palatinate
Palatinate (wine region)
Palatinate is a German wine-growing region in the area of Bad Dürkheim, Neustadt an der Weinstraße, and Landau in Rhineland-Palatinate. Before 1993, it was known as Rhine Palatinate . With under cultivation in 2008, the region is the second largest wine region in Germany after Rheinhessen...
and Nahe
Nahe (wine region)
Nahe is a region for quality wine in Germany, along the River Nahe in the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. On the region's of vineyards in 2008, white wine grapes dominate with 75% and Riesling is the most common variety with 27.2%...
. Small plantations are also found in England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
.
Properties
Huxelrebe is a very high-yielding variety which ripens early. If yields are controlled, it can make very high-quality wineWine
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...
s, primarily sweet wines as an apéritif
Aperitif
Apéritifs and digestifs are alcoholic drinks that are normally served with meals.-Apéritifs:An apéritif is usually served before a meal to stimulate the appetite. This contrasts with digestifs, which are served after a meal for the purpose of aiding digestion...
or dessert wine
Dessert wine
Dessert wines are sweet wines typically served with dessert.There is no simple definition of a dessert wine. In the UK, a dessert wine is considered to be any sweet wine drunk with a meal, as opposed to the white fortified wines drunk before the meal, and the red fortified wines drunk after it...
, and it usually can reach Auslese
Auslese
Auslese is a German language wine term for a late harvest wine and is a riper category than Spätlese in the Prädikatswein category of the Austrian and German wine classification. The grapes are picked from selected very ripe bunches in the autumn , and have to be hand picked...
ripness even in a lesser year. The wines tend to be high in acidity and have aromas of rhubarb
Rhubarb
Rhubarb is a group of plants that belong to the genus Rheum in the family Polygonaceae. They are herbaceous perennial plants growing from short, thick rhizomes. They have large leaves that are somewhat triangular-shaped with long fleshy petioles...
s. Higher-end Huxelrebe wines made from riper grapes often have muscat-like
Muscat (grape and wine)
The Muscat variety of grapes of the species Vitis vinifera is widely grown for wine, raisins and table grapes. Their color ranges from white to near black. Muscat almost always has a pronounced sweet floral aroma. Muscat grapes are grown around the world...
aromas in addition.
History and parentage
Huxelrebe was created by GermanGermany
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...
viticulturalist Dr. Georg Scheu (1879-1949) in 1927, when he was working as director of a grape-breeding institute in Alzey
Alzey
Alzey is a Verband-free town – one belonging to no Verbandsgemeinde – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany. It is the fourth-largest town in Rhenish Hesse, after Mainz, Worms, and Bingen....
in Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen (wine region)
Rheinhessen is the largest of 13 German wine regions for quality wines with under cultivation in 2008. Named for the traditional region of Rhenish Hesse, it lies on the left bank of the River Rhine between Worms and Bingen in the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate...
, by crossing Gutedel (Chasselas
Chasselas
Chasselas or Chasselas Blanc is a wine grape variety grown in Switzerland, France, Germany, Portugal, Baja Norte, Mexico, Hungary and New Zealand.Theories of its origin vary. Pierre Galet believes it is a native Swiss variety....
) with Courtiller Musqué (Muscat Précoce de Saumur
Muscat Précoce de Saumur
Muscat Précoce de Saumur is a white variety of grape of French origin. It was first cultivated in 1842 by Auguste Courtiller , who created it by selecting seedlings from a Pinot Noir Précoce vine with open pollination. Courtiller worked in the Jardin des Plantes of the city of Saumur...
). It received varietal protection in 1969.
Initially known under its breeding code Alzey S 3962, the variety was named after viticulturalist and nursery
Nursery (horticulture)
A nursery is a place where plants are propagated and grown to usable size. They include retail nurseries which sell to the general public, wholesale nurseries which sell only to businesses such as other nurseries and to commercial gardeners, and private nurseries which supply the needs of...
owner Fritz Huxel (1892-1972), who was the first to cultivate it extensively. This took place in the 1950s in Westhofen
Westhofen
Westhofen is an Ortsgemeinde – a municipality belonging to a Verbandsgemeinde, a kind of collective municipality – in the Alzey-Worms district in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany.- Location :...
, Rheinhessen
Rheinhessen
Rhenish Hesse refers to the part of the former Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt located west of the Rhine river and now part of Rhineland-Palatinate. It is a hilly countryside largely devoted to vineyards, therefore it is also called the "land of the thousand hills." Its larger towns include:...
, and Huxel became an important champion of the variety. Huxel won many prices for his Huxelrebe wines. The Rebe part of the name is German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
for vine
Vine
A vine in the narrowest sense is the grapevine , but more generally it can refer to any plant with a growth habit of trailing or scandent, that is to say climbing, stems or runners...
.
Synonyms
Huxelrebe has no other synonyms than its breeding code Alzey SSeedling
thumb|Monocot and dicot seedlingsA seedling is a young plant sporophyte developing out of a plant embryo from a seed. Seedling development starts with germination of the seed. A typical young seedling consists of three main parts: the radicle , the hypocotyl , and the cotyledons...
3962 or AS 3962.