Silvaner

DNA profiling in Austria in the late 1990s identified Silvaner as a spontaneous cross between Savagnin (the Traminer family) and Österreichisch Weiss. The latter is itself a descendant of Gouais Blanc, which places Gouais Blanc among its grandparents; it is related to Pinot through Savagnin, either as a grandchild or as a half sibling. Savagnin is recorded in Austria as Traminer by 1349 and Österreichisch Weiss was grown mainly around Vienna, so the cross most probably arose in eastern Austria; the old name Österreicher, still used in Franken, fits that picture. The Serbian-Croatian variety Bálint, long thought local to Syrmia, has the same DNA profile as Silvaner.

The first documented German planting is at Schloss Castell in Franken in 1659, when the estate administrator bought 25 cuttings described as Austrian from Obereisenheim to replace vines lost in and after the Thirty Years' War. The abbey at Ebrach recorded the vine in 1665, and Cistercian monks are often credited with spreading it along the Main. Franken marked 350 years of Silvaner in 2009.

Silvaner later became widespread across Germany, Alsace, Switzerland and central Europe, and was Germany's leading white in the early twentieth century. It is also an active parent of crossings, including Bukettraube, Freisamer, Kanzler, Nobling, Rieslaner, Osteiner and Juwel, and, in pairings with Roter Veltliner, two Austrian varieties, Neuburger and Frühroter Veltliner.

Silvaner buds early and is therefore exposed to spring frost, which makes site choice important; the best vineyards are south-facing and on warm, free-draining slopes. It ripens in mid season, is naturally productive, and gives a hollow, diluted wine unless yields are held down. The small green-yellow berries are vulnerable to both mildews, powdery and downy, as well as botrytis, and the vine is also prone to chlorosis. It does best on limestone, marl or loess with some clay for water retention, and struggles on cold, heavy or wet soils. Roter Silvaner and the Württemberg-only Blauer Silvaner are colour mutations that cannot be told apart genetically from the green form.

Dry still wine dominates. In Franken it is typically full-bodied and earthy with moderate acidity, fermented in stainless steel or large old oak, and bottled in the squat Bocksbeutel; top sites also supply Grosse Gewächs and Grosse Lage wines that age for a decade or more, developing nutty, quince and dried herb tones. Rheinhessen styles run from fresh and herbal to substantial and phenolic, with a regional dry designation, Silvaner RS, created in the mid 1980s. Alsace Sylvaner is leaner and more citrus-driven, usually unoaked, with old-vine bottlings giving the most depth. Alto Adige's Valle Isarco gives taut, mineral, floral wines. Sweet Silvaner from Auslese up to Trockenbeerenauslese is rare but highly regarded. The variety suits white asparagus, river fish, veal and light cream sauces.