Souvignier Gris

The Souvignier gris grape variety (pronunciation: Suvinje grie) was bred in 1983 by Norbert Becker (1937 - 2012) at the State Viticultural Institute in Freiburg i. Br. Please do not confuse it with Sauvignon, even if an English tongue can get confused when pronouncing it.

Originally, it was assumed that Cabernet Sauvignon x Bronner were the parents. However, a genome analysis disproved this assumption. Souvignier gris is in fact a cross between Seyval Blanc x Zähringer. The naming of Souvignier Gris will probably remain a secret of the Freiburg breeder Norbert Becker. He took it to his grave with him, as there are no further sources. Neither Sauvignon nor Viognier have left their genetic mark here, that's for sure.

They were crossed from a French original Piwi grape variety Seyval and Zähringer. Zähringer, in turn, was also crossed in Freiburg in 1939 from Riesling and Gewürztraminer. Seyval is a cross between PiWi varieties that were developed in France from 1920 onwards by the breeder Albert Seidel as a reaction to the destruction of the vines by phylloxera.

The flavour of Souvignier Gris - and the name is a bit right - is reminiscent of Weißburgunder (White Burgundy) or Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris).