Dornfelder () is a dark-skinned variety of
grape
A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters.
The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...
of
German
German(s) may refer to:
* Germany, the country of the Germans and German things
**Germania (Roman era)
* Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language
** For citizenship in Germany, see also Ge ...
origin used for red
wine
Wine is an alcoholic drink made from Fermentation in winemaking, fermented fruit. Yeast in winemaking, Yeast consumes the sugar in the fruit and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Wine is most often made f ...
.
[German Wine Institute: Dornfelder](_blank)
, accessed on May 29, 2008 It was created by
August Herold
August Karl Herold (August 7, 1902 in Neckarsulm – January 8, 1973 in Neckarsulm) was a German grape breeder.
Herold graduated from the Agricultural College Hohenheim in 1925, worked at a grape breeding station in Naumburg 1926–1928 a ...
(1902–1973) at the grape breeding institute in
Weinsberg
Weinsberg (South Franconian: ''Weischberg'') is a town in the north of the state of Baden-Württemberg in Germany. It was founded around 1200 and is situated in the Heilbronn district. The town has about 13,000 inhabitants. It is noted for its win ...
in the
Württemberg
Württemberg ( ; ) is a historical German territory roughly corresponding to the cultural and linguistic region of Swabia. The main town of the region is Stuttgart.
Together with Baden and Province of Hohenzollern, Hohenzollern, two other histo ...
region in 1955. Herold crossed the grape varieties
Helfensteiner
Helfensteiner is a dark-skinned German wine grape crossing of the species ''Vitis vinifera'', that was created in 1931 with the crossing of Frühburgunder (Pinot Précoce noir) and Trollinger (Schiava Grossa). It was created by August Herold ...
and
Heroldrebe
Heroldrebe is a red German wine grape variety produced by crossing Blauer Portugieser and Lemberger. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1929, and was named after him.
...
, the latter which bears his name, to create Dornfelder.
[Vitis International Variety Catalogue: Dornfelder](_blank)
, accessed on May 29, 2008 Helfensteiner
Helfensteiner is a dark-skinned German wine grape crossing of the species ''Vitis vinifera'', that was created in 1931 with the crossing of Frühburgunder (Pinot Précoce noir) and Trollinger (Schiava Grossa). It was created by August Herold ...
(
Frühburgunder/Pinot Noir Précoce ×
Trollinger
Trollinger, Schiava, or Vernatsch, is a red German/Italian wine grape variety that was likely first originally cultivated in the wine regions of South Tyrol and Trentino, but today is almost exclusively cultivated on steep, sunny locations in t ...
/Schiava Grossa) and
Heroldrebe
Heroldrebe is a red German wine grape variety produced by crossing Blauer Portugieser and Lemberger. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1929, and was named after him.
...
(
Blauer Portugieser
Blauer Portugieser is a red Austrian, Slovenian wine, Croatian wine, Moravian and German wine grapeJ. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 542 Oxford University Press 2006 found primarily in the Rheinhessen, Pf ...
×
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch (; German language, German for ''blue Frankish grapes, Frankish'') is a dark-skinned list of grape varieties, variety of grape used for red wine. and California wine, California,
DNA profiling has shown that Blaufränkisch is a c ...
/Lemberger) were both crosses created some decades earlier by Herold. Dornfelder received varietal protection and was released for cultivation in 1979. It was named in honor of
Immanuel August Ludwig Dornfeld (1796–1869), a senior civil servant who was instrumental in creating the
viticultural
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, ...
school in Weinsberg.
[Wein-Plus Glossar: Dornfelder](_blank)
accessed on March 6, 2013
Traditionally, the red
wines of Germany were mostly pale and light-bodied, but new breeds of dark-skinned grapes led by Dornfelder have allowed the production of more internationally styled reds. Dornfelder
has a depth of color, good acidity and the ability to benefit from
barrique aging and the associated
oak
An oak is a hardwood tree or shrub in the genus ''Quercus'' of the beech family. They have spirally arranged leaves, often with lobed edges, and a nut called an acorn, borne within a cup. The genus is widely distributed in the Northern Hemisp ...
flavours. In comparison to traditional red wine varieties of Germany, Dornfelder is easier to grow than
Spätburgunder
Pinot noir (), also known as Pinot nero, is a red-wine grape variety of the species ''Vitis vinifera''. The name also refers to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes. The name is derived from the French words for ''pine'' and ' ...
, has better resistance to rot than Blauer Portugieser (as well as deeper color, more powerful flavours and more tannin), has stronger stalks than Trollinger, ripens earlier than Lemberger, and achieves higher
must weights, i.e., higher natural alcohol levels than most of these varieties. Dornfelder can be very productive, and
yield up to 120 hectoliter per hectare, but quality-conscious producers typically keep yields much lower.
Higher-quality Dornfelder wines are velvety textured, slightly floral, often show flavours of plums, blackberries or cherries, and are typically oaked. Sometimes the wines have a hint of sweetness.
Dornfelder is the second most grown red wine grape variety in Germany. Steadily increased plantings throughout the 1980s and 1990s allowed it to overtake Blauer Portugieser in 2001. It has established itself in most German regions, and been particularly successful in
Rheinhessen
Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (, ) is a region and a former government district () in the States of Germany, German state of Rhineland ...
and the
Palatinate. In 2006, Dornfelder was grown on in Germany, and no longer has an increasing trend.
[German Wine Institute: German Wine Statistics 2007-2008](_blank)
History and relationship to other grapes

Dornfelder was created in 1956 at the
Weinsberg Research Center in
Baden-Württemberg
Baden-Württemberg ( ; ), commonly shortened to BW or BaWü, is a states of Germany, German state () in Southwest Germany, east of the Rhine, which forms the southern part of Germany's western border with France. With more than 11.07 million i ...
by German grape breeder August Herold. The variety was created as a
cross
A cross is a religious symbol consisting of two Intersection (set theory), intersecting Line (geometry), lines, usually perpendicular to each other. The lines usually run vertically and horizontally. A cross of oblique lines, in the shape of t ...
of two ''
Vitis vinifera
''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine, is a species of flowering plant, native to the Mediterranean Basin, Mediterranean region, Central Europe, and southwestern Asia, from Morocco and Portugal north to southern Germany and east to northern ...
'' crossing previously created by Herold,
Helfensteiner
Helfensteiner is a dark-skinned German wine grape crossing of the species ''Vitis vinifera'', that was created in 1931 with the crossing of Frühburgunder (Pinot Précoce noir) and Trollinger (Schiava Grossa). It was created by August Herold ...
(a cross of Frühburgunder/Pinot Précoce noir and Trollinger/Schiava Grossa created in 1931) and
Heroldrebe
Heroldrebe is a red German wine grape variety produced by crossing Blauer Portugieser and Lemberger. It was created by August Herold at the grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg region in 1929, and was named after him.
...
(a cross of Blauer Portugieser and Blaufränkisch/Lemberger created in 1929). The variety was named after one of the 19th century founders of the school of
viticulture
Viticulture (, "vine-growing"), viniculture (, "wine-growing"), or winegrowing is the cultivation and harvesting of grapes. It is a branch of the science of horticulture. While the native territory of ''Vitis vinifera'', the common grape vine ...
at Weinsberg, Immanuel August Ludwig Dornfeld.
[J. Robinson, J. Harding and J. Vouillamoz ''Wine Grapes - A complete guide to 1,368 vine varieties, including their origins and flavours'' pgs 307-308 Allen Lane 2012 ]
Originally created as a blending variety to add
color
Color (or colour in English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English; American and British English spelling differences#-our, -or, see spelling differences) is the visual perception based on the electromagnetic spectrum. Though co ...
to the pale red wines of Germany, plantings of Dornfelder were initially slow to take off. By 1970 there was only around of the variety planted.
[Appellation America ']
Dornfelder
'', varietal profiles, Accessed: November 25th, 2013 The grape was officially approved for
German wine
German wine is primarily produced in the west of Germany, along the river Rhine and its tributaries, with the oldest plantations going back to the Celts and Ancient Rome, Roman eras. Approximately 60 percent of German wine is produced in the st ...
production in 1980 with plantings rapidly increasing throughout the rest of the 20th century. From 2000 to 2005-2006, plantings again doubled as wine produced from Dornfelder earn commercial success.
As a successful ''vinifera'' crossing, Dornfelder was used as a parent variety to create several new varieties including
Acolon
Acolon is a German wine grape variety, a cross between Blauer Lemberger (Blaufränkisch) and Dornfelder. J. Robinson (ed) ''"The Oxford Companion to Wine"'' Third Edition pg 3 Oxford University Press 2006
It was created in 1971 at the ''Staa ...
(a 1971 crossing with
Blaufränkisch
Blaufränkisch (; German language, German for ''blue Frankish grapes, Frankish'') is a dark-skinned list of grape varieties, variety of grape used for red wine. and California wine, California,
DNA profiling has shown that Blaufränkisch is a c ...
),
Cabernet Dorio (a 1971 crossing with
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 Australia and British Columbia, Canada to Lebano ...
),
Cabernet Dorsa
Cabernet Dorsa is a dark-skinned variety of grape used for red wine. It was created at a grape breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg wine region of Germany in 1971 by crossing the Blaufränkisch and Dornfelder varieties. The origina ...
(another 1971 crossing with Cabernet Sauvignon) and
Monarch
A monarch () is a head of stateWebster's II New College Dictionary. "Monarch". Houghton Mifflin. Boston. 2001. p. 707. Life tenure, for life or until abdication, and therefore the head of state of a monarchy. A monarch may exercise the highest ...
(a 1988 crossing with
Solaris
Solaris is the Latin word for sun.
It may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Literature, television and film
* ''Solaris'' (novel), a 1961 science fiction novel by Stanisław Lem
** ''Solaris'' (1968 film), directed by Boris Nirenburg
** ''Sol ...
).
Viticulture
Dornfelder was bred to be a vigorous and high yielding grape variety, easily capable of producing up to 120 hl/ha (≈ 6 tons/acre), with a high concentration of color
phenolics that can contribute to producing a
darker colored red wine than what was typically found in
German wine regions. The variety tends to be an early to mid
budding
Budding or blastogenesis is a type of asexual reproduction in which a new organism develops from an outgrowth or bud due to cell division at one particular site. For example, the small bulb-like projection coming out from the yeast cell is kno ...
and
ripening
Ripening is a process in fruits that causes them to become more palatable. In general, fruit becomes sweeter, less green, and softer as it ripens. Even though the acidity of fruit increases as it ripens, the higher acidity level does not make t ...
grapevine with thick skins that give it good resistance to the
viticultural hazards of fungal infections such as
botrytis bunch rot
''Botrytis cinerea'' is a necrotrophic fungus that affects many plant species, although its most notable hosts may be wine grapes. In viticulture, it is commonly known as "botrytis bunch rot"; in horticulture, it is usually called "grey mould" o ...
.
Wine regions

Most plantings of Dornfelder can be found in its viticultural homeland of Germany where there were plantings of the grape in production in 2012. Nearly of those plantings were found in Germany's two largest wine regions, the
Palatinate and
Rheinhessen
Rhenish Hesse or Rhine HesseDickinson, Robert E (1964). ''Germany: A regional and economic geography'' (2nd ed.). London: Methuen, p. 542. . (, ) is a region and a former government district () in the States of Germany, German state of Rhineland ...
. From Germany, plantings of Dornfelder spread in the late 20th century to nearby
Switzerland
Switzerland, officially the Swiss Confederation, is a landlocked country located in west-central Europe. It is bordered by Italy to the south, France to the west, Germany to the north, and Austria and Liechtenstein to the east. Switzerland ...
where, by 2009, there were found mostly in the
cantons
A canton is a type of administrative division of a country. In general, cantons are relatively small in terms of area and population when compared with other administrative divisions such as counties, departments, or provinces. Internationally, th ...
of
Schwyz
Schwyz (; ; ) is a town and the capital of the canton of Schwyz in Switzerland.
The Federal Charter of 1291 or ''Bundesbrief'', the charter that eventually led to the foundation of Switzerland, can be seen at the ''Bundesbriefmuseum''.
The of ...
and
Zürich
Zurich (; ) is the list of cities in Switzerland, largest city in Switzerland and the capital of the canton of Zurich. It is in north-central Switzerland, at the northwestern tip of Lake Zurich. , the municipality had 448,664 inhabitants. The ...
.
The grape was first introduced to England in the late 1980s where it has mostly been used for
rosé
A rosé () is a type of wine that incorporates some of the wine color, color from the grape skins, but not enough to qualify it as a red wine. It may be the oldest known type of wine, as it is the most straightforward to make with the Macerati ...
s and
sparkling wine production
Sparkling wine production is the method of winemaking used to produce sparkling wine. The oldest known production of sparkling wine took place in 1531 with the ''ancestral method''.
Pressure and terminology
In popular parlance and also in the ...
. While some English producers do make
light bodied red wines, its use for red wine production has largely fallen out of favor as the
hybrid grape
Hybrid grapes are grape varieties that are the product of a Hybrid (biology), crossing of two or more ''Vitis'' species. This is in contrast to crossings between grape varieties of the same species, typically ''Vitis vinifera'', the European grape ...
Regent
In a monarchy, a regent () is a person appointed to govern a state because the actual monarch is a minor, absent, incapacitated or unable to discharge their powers and duties, or the throne is vacant and a new monarch has not yet been dete ...
gains in popularity. By 2007 there were an estimated in England. In the
Czech Republic
The Czech Republic, also known as Czechia, and historically known as Bohemia, is a landlocked country in Central Europe. The country is bordered by Austria to the south, Germany to the west, Poland to the northeast, and Slovakia to the south ...
, there are some limited plantings of Dornfelder.
Outside of Europe, Dornfelder can be found in the
Lodi and
Sta. Rita Hills AVA of
California
California () is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States that lies on the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. It borders Oregon to the north, Nevada and Arizona to the east, and shares Mexico–United States border, an ...
, the
Finger Lakes AVA
Finger Lakes is an American Viticultural Area (AVA) located in upstate New York, approximately south of Lake Ontario encompassing entirely 14 counties: Cayuga, Chemung , Cortland, Livingston, Monroe, Onondaga, Ontario, Schuyler, Seneca, ...
of
New York
New York most commonly refers to:
* New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States
* New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York
New York may also refer to:
Places United Kingdom
* ...
as well as in
Pennsylvania
Pennsylvania, officially the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, is a U.S. state, state spanning the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, Northeastern United States, Northeastern, Appalachian, and Great Lakes region, Great Lakes regions o ...
and
Virginia
Virginia, officially the Commonwealth of Virginia, is a U.S. state, state in the Southeastern United States, Southeastern and Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic regions of the United States between the East Coast of the United States ...
. Plantings of the grape can also be found in
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its Provinces and territories of Canada, ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, making it the world's List of coun ...
in the
British Columbia wine region of
Vancouver Island
Vancouver Island is an island in the northeastern Pacific Ocean and part of the Canadian province of British Columbia. The island is in length, in width at its widest point, and in total area, while are of land. The island is the largest ...
.
In the
Rio Grande do Sul
Rio Grande do Sul (, ; ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative units of Brazil#List, fifth-most populous state and the List of Brazilian s ...
region of
Brazil
Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...
, some South American wine producers are experimenting with the variety as are
Japanese wine
Although viticulture and the cultivation of grapes for table consumption has a long history in Japan, domestic wine production using locally produced grapes only really began with the adoption of Western culture during the Meiji restoration in t ...
makers on the island of
Hokkaido
is the list of islands of Japan by area, second-largest island of Japan and comprises the largest and northernmost prefectures of Japan, prefecture, making up its own list of regions of Japan, region. The Tsugaru Strait separates Hokkaidō fr ...
where there of Dornfelder in production as of 2009.
Styles

Due to its thick skins that are high in phenolic compounds, such as
anthocyanins
Anthocyanins (), also called anthocyans, are water-soluble vacuolar pigments that, depending on their pH, may appear red, purple, blue, or black. In 1835, the German pharmacist Ludwig Clamor Marquart named a chemical compound that gives flow ...
, Dornfelder tends to produce deeply colored red wines that can have a soft, rich texture in the
mouthfeel
Mouthfeel refers to the physical sensations in the mouth caused by food or drink, making it distinct from taste. It is a fundamental sensory attribute which, along with taste and smell, determines the overall flavor of a food item. Mouthfeel i ...
. The wine usually have a fair amount of
acidity
An acid is a molecule or ion capable of either donating a proton (i.e. hydrogen cation, H+), known as a Brønsted–Lowry acid, or forming a covalent bond with an electron pair, known as a Lewis acid.
The first category of acids are the ...
with some examples showing floral
aroma notes. The overall quality of the wines produced from Dornfelder tend to be dependent on
harvest
Harvesting is the process of collecting plants, animals, or fish (as well as fungi) as food, especially the process of gathering mature crops, and "the harvest" also refers to the collected crops. Reaping is the cutting of grain or pulses fo ...
yields with wines produced from lower yields being more likely to have the concentration of fruit needed to complement a period of
oak aging that can add more body and complexity to the wine.
Early in its history, German producers would use Dornfelder to make
Beaujolais nouveau
Beaujolais nouveau ( , ) is a red wine made from Gamay grapes produced in the Beaujolais region of France. It is a '' vin de primeur'', fermented just a few weeks before being released for sale on the third Thursday of November. Distributors co ...
style wine using
carbonic maceration
Carbonic maceration is a winemaking technique, often associated with the French wine region of Beaujolais, in which whole grapes are fermented in a carbon dioxide rich environment before crushing. Conventional alcoholic fermentation involves cru ...
to make a light bodied, fruity wine, sometimes with a bit of
residual sugar
The subjective sweetness of a wine is determined by the interaction of several factors, including the amount of sugar in the wine, but also the relative levels of alcohol, acids, and tannins. Sugars and alcohol enhance a wine's sweetness, while ...
. Today, most examples of Dornfelder are
fermented
Fermentation is a type of anaerobic metabolism which harnesses the redox potential of the reactants to make adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and organic end products. Organic compound, Organic molecules, such as glucose or other sugars, are Catabo ...
dry, though some off-dry examples exist, with flavors of sour cherry and blackberries.
Synonyms
The only known synonyms for Dornfelder are its breeding codes Weinsberg S 341 and We S 341.
S for
seedling
A seedling is a young 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 (embryonic root), the hypocotyl (embry ...
, WE S for Weinsberg seedling.
References
{{Wines
Red wine grape varieties
Germanic words and phrases