The red grape variety (also Honey, Red) is grown in China. It is said to have been introduced by Dongfeng Farm in 1965, together with other grape varieties such as Crystal and French Wild. According to the Chinese ampelographer Qin Sun, it is a presumably natural cross between varieties of the sepzies Vitis vinifera x Vitis labrusca. However, this has not yet been investigated by DNA analysis. According to another hypothesis, it came from Europe already at the beginning of the 19th century, but there is no evidence for this. The medium-maturing vine with reddish berries is resistant to drought and diseases in general and also thrives in poor soils. It produces ruby-coloured, full-bodied wines with foxtone (indicating Vitis labrusca genes), but is also used as table grape. The variety is widespread in the southwestern province of Yunnan. There are further stocks in Sichuan province to the north and in the north-eastern province of Jilin. However, no populations were reported in 2016 (Kym Anderson statistics).
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Dr. Christa Hanten
Fachjournalistin, Lektorin und Verkosterin, Wien