The red grape variety is a new cross between Olmo F2-7 (Mazuelo x Cabernet Sauvignon) x Garnacha Tinta. The cross was made in 1949 by the breeder Dr. Harold P. Olmo (1909-2006) at the California Agricultural Experiment Station. The mother variety was already created in 1936 during the development of the Ruby Cabernet variety. The breeding goal was a special variety for the relatively hot and dry Californian conditions. By the way, the same parents also created the new variety Centurion. The early to medium ripening vine has berries rich in sugar. It yields red wines of simple character, which are almost exclusively used as blending. In California, the variety is mainly cultivated in Fresno County. In 2016, a total of 123 hectares of vineyards were reported there, with a strongly decreasing tendency (Kym Anderson statistics). Further stocks are also said to exist in Australia and in Hawaii..
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Dominik Trick
Technischer Lehrer, staatl. geprüfter Sommelier, Hotelfachschule Heidelberg