Botanical illustration of a blue-black grape cluster with leaf and tendril.

Rondo

red · hybrid

Origin: Crossed in Czechoslovakia, 1964 (Vilém Kraus); developed at Geisenheim (Zarya Severa × St. Laurent)
Where it grows: Poland
Typical winemaking: short maceration, steel or older oak; dry

The story

Rondo was crossed in Czechoslovakia in 1964 by Vilém Kraus, from Zarya Severa and St. Laurent, and developed further at Geisenheim. It was bred to be cold-hardy, and for a time that made it popular in Poland, in the Vistula Gorge and West Pomerania among other places. Growers are now phasing it out.

In the glass it is deeply coloured: blackberry, dark cherry, a little earth, soft tannin and fresh acidity. It is usually at its best young, with food.