The white grape variety is a new breed between Silvaner x Pinot Gris (which was confirmed by DNA analyses conducted in 2012). Synonyms include FR 21-5 and (in Switzerland) Freiburger. The crossing occurred in 1916 by the grape breeder and founding director Dr. Karl Müller Karl (1881-1955) at the State Wine Institute Freiburg (Germany) (Baden-Württemberg). The first name was Freiburger, which was changed to Freisamer in 1958 for seed law reasons. The current name is derived from Freiburg and the small river Dreisam that flows through the city.
The breeding goal was to improve the then very yield and unstable Ruländer (Pinot Gris) with only about 1,000 to 1,500 liters of grape must per hectare. As a result, a significant improvement was achieved through clone selection in the variety Ruländer/Grauburgunder. Therefore, the significance of the Freisamer grape variety has drastically decreased. The medium to late ripening grape varieties produces acidic white wines. It is cultivated in Germany (3 ha) and in Switzerland (5 ha). In 2016, a total of eight hectares of vineyard area were recorded (Statistics D-STATIS and Kym Anderson Kym). There is also said to be a small stock in England.
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Thorsten Rahn
Restaurantleiter, Sommelier, Weindozent und Autor; Dresden