The red grape variety used to be cultivated in Austrian Styria, as well as in present-day Croatia and Slovenia. Synonyms are Blaue Vogeltraube, Gehagstock, Ghagweinbeer, Gush Uzyum, Jungferntraube, Kleinblauer Wildbacher, Menekowna, Muhovnek, Pticjak, Pticrjak, Spätblauer Wildbacher, Tizhna, Tizhniak, Tizhnik, Venizhona and Vogelweinbeer. The name may derive from the fact that the berries were very popular with birds. The ampelographer Hermann Goethe (1837-1911) mentions the vine in his Handbuch der Ampelographie "as quite worthless, wild and small-berried grapes". The acidic wine was mostly used for the production of vinegar. The Italian oseleta is possibly identical or related. Some synonyms (see above) suggest the Blauer Wildbacher variety. In his work "Systematische Classification und Beschreibung der im Herzogthume Steiermark vorkommenden Rebensorten" published in 1841, the ampelographer Franz Xaver Trummer (1800-1858) determined Vogeltraube as the parent plant of this Styrian vine. There was also a variety called Weiße Vogeltraube, which was used as table grape.
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Roman Horvath MW
Domäne Wachau (Wachau)