2022 Blue Autumn

Location: The last vines of this rare variety survived undetected, mixed in one of the last blends in the Ortenau region, together with various Pinot varieties, Gutedel, Muscat, Bouvier and Räuschling.

History: The oldest origins of the variety date back to the 7th millennium BC in Central Asia. Later, the Arbst spread to France with the Moors (Maurillon) during the Crusades (11th–13th centuries), where it first appeared around 1302 as Auvernas (Maurillon) in the Orléanais region. The Blauer Arbst (966) takes its name from the Albanian Arbëresh tribe and was brought to the Loire again in the 14th century after the devastating Magdalene Flood (1342) from Albania via rulers of the House of Anjou. It belongs to the Auvernas-Morillon-Pinot Traminer family and was a key ingredient in Affenthaler wines. During the Little Ice Age (c. 14th–19th centuries), the variety disappeared again in many regions, surviving only in microclimatic warm spots. In Germany it was widely used in mixed varieties until the 19th century, but was later replaced due to its lower yield, even though it was considered to be of higher quality than Pinot Noir.

For more information, see the Certificate of Origin → here