Rondo Wine Grape

Rondo (Gm 6494-5) is a blue PIWI (pilzwiderstandsfähig) variety with great vigour used for red and rose wine. It was created in 1964 by Professor V. Kraus in what was then Czechoslovakia by crossing the varieties Saperavi Severnyi (a Russsian variety) and St. Laurent, and is further processed by the German Wine Research Institute in Geisenheim. It was first planted in larger scale in the mid 1980s by Thomas Walk Vineyard in Ireland, then known as Amurensis Walk. In 1997 it received the name Rondo. It is classed as a hybrid grape.

Rondo is a grape variety that ripens early and is very resistant to winter frost and diseases. It is a medium high yielding variety, acidity levels are medium to low and it is medium high in tannins. It grows on virtually any type of soil, as long as the water supply is good. The grapes have dark skin and give a full-bodied ruby red, harmonious wine with a concentrated taste. It is also used in cuveés (blend of different grape varieties), for example with Regent and Solaris.