A division of grape varieties into Frankish and Hunnic grape varieties was practiced in German-speaking countries in the

Middle Ages In the history of Europe, the Middle Ages or medieval period lasted approximately from the 5th to the late 15th centuries, similarly to the post-classical period of global history. It began with the fall of the Western Roman Empire and ...

and separated varieties considered to be better from those considered to be lesser. Frankish (''fränkisch'') grapes were considered noble grapes, and the designation derived from the

Franks file:Frankish arms.JPG, Aristocratic Frankish burial items from the Merovingian dynasty The Franks ( or ; ; ) were originally a group of Germanic peoples who lived near the Rhine river, Rhine-river military border of Germania Inferior, which wa ...

, as popular belief held that those were grapes introduced by

Charlemagne Charlemagne ( ; 2 April 748 – 28 January 814) was List of Frankish kings, King of the Franks from 768, List of kings of the Lombards, King of the Lombards from 774, and Holy Roman Emperor, Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian ...

or at least through his edicts.Wein-Plus Glossar: Fränkisch
accessed on January 23, 2013 Hunnic (''hunnisch'' or ''heunisch'') grapes, on the other hand, were the simpler varieties.
accessed on January 23, 2013 It is unclear whether it was actually believed that these varieties had been introduced by the

Huns The Huns were a nomadic people who lived in Central Asia, the Caucasus, and Eastern Europe between the 4th and 6th centuries AD. According to European tradition, they were first reported living east of the Volga River, in an area that was par ...

, or if the term Hunnic was just used as a

pejorative A pejorative word, phrase, slur, or derogatory term is a word or grammatical form expressing a negative or disrespectful connotation, a low opinion, or a lack of respect toward someone or something. It is also used to express criticism, hosti ...

. Another possibility is that ''heunisch'' derives not directly from the Huns but from a related old

Low German Low German is a West Germanic languages, West Germanic language variety, language spoken mainly in Northern Germany and the northeastern Netherlands. The dialect of Plautdietsch is also spoken in the Russian Mennonite diaspora worldwide. "Low" ...

word for "large" (''hunisc'', cf archaic Modern German ''Hüne'' "hulk, giant") that was applied to grape varieties with large berries (''huniscdrubo'' in the '' Summarium Heinrici'') which give higher yields than the smaller-berried "Frankish" varieties, but wines of lower quality and less concentrated flavours.

History

These terms can be traced back to the early Middle Ages. As an example, the mystic

Hildegard of Bingen Hildegard of Bingen Benedictines, OSB (, ; ; 17 September 1179), also known as the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German Benedictines, Benedictine abbess and polymath active as a writer, composer, philosopher, Christian mysticism, mystic, visiona ...

wrote in the 12th century that the Frankish wine was stronger and set the blood so much in motion that it was necessary to dilute it with water, while the Hunnic wine was more watery by nature and therefore had not to be diluted. Some of the earliest specific varieties to be mentioned as Frankisch were

Traminer Savagnin () or Savagnin blanc is a variety of white wine grape with green-skinned berries. It is mostly grown in the Jura region of France, where it is made into Savagnin wine or the famous vin jaune and vin de paille. History The history of ...

, Pinot gris and

Riesling Riesling ( , ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling ...

in the 14th to 15th centuries. It could be noted that more than 500 years of not very well-documented viticultural history and highly uncertain grape identification separate Charlemagne and these written claims. Other traditional Frankish varieties are Elbling,

Orléans Orléans (,"Orleans"
(US) and Pinot noir 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 language, French words fo ...

and

Silvaner Silvaner or Sylvaner () is a variety of white wine grape grown primarily in Alsace wine, Alsace and German wine, Germany, where its official name is Grüner Silvaner. While the Alsatian versions have primarily been considered simpler wines, it ...

. The terms live on in the present names or synonyms of many varieties, such as Blaufränkisch (blue Frankish) and Weisser Heunisch (white Hunnic), the German name of

Gouais blanc Gouais blanc () or Weißer Heunisch () is a white grape variety that is seldom grown today but is important as the ancestor of many traditional French and German grape varieties. The name ''Gouais'' derives from the old French adjective ‘ ...

Relationship to other grapes

DNA profiling DNA profiling (also called DNA fingerprinting and genetic fingerprinting) is the process of determining an individual's deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) characteristics. DNA analysis intended to identify a species, rather than an individual, is cal ...

from the 1990s has revealed that many classical grape varieties are crosses with parents in both the Frankish and Hunnic groups. Three examples with Gouais blanc as one parent are

Chardonnay Chardonnay (, ; ) is a green-skinned grape variety used in the production of white wine. The variety originated in the Burgundy wine region of eastern France, but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand. For new a ...

, which is a cross with Pinot (probably Pinot noir), Riesling, whose other parent is an undetermined cross with Traminer parentage, and indeed Blaufränkisch itself, which derives from Gouais blanc and the Argant clone Blaue Zimmettraube. Thus, the Frankish group of varieties does not have a totally separate pedigree from the Hunnic group. This has led to a resurged interest in the Hunnic grapes, many of which lead a dwindling existence and are on the brink of becoming extinct.

References

{{Reflist Grape varieties German wine Wine terminology

History

Relationship to other grapes

See also

References