All the wine museums we visited before opening our Vivanco Museum of the Culture of Wine were missing something. To a greater or lesser extent, they had tools for tilling the land, machinery, processing methods, historical documents... But they never took into account the fruit that gives rise to wine: the grape. We realised that somehow, the importance that we felt it deserved was not given.??That is why we wanted to pay this tribute to the vine and the grape. In the Garden of Bacchus, you can find more than 220 grape varieties, from their botanical origins to the most modern table and wine varieties from across the world.
Designation of Origin: Ribera del Duero.
Other names: Aragonés (Burgos and Valladolid); Escobera, Chinchillana (Badajoz); Ink roriz, Aragonez (Portugal), Tinto Fino (Madrid), Tinta de Toro (Zamora), Cencibel (La Mancha), Tinto de Madrid (Toledo, Santander, Salamanca, Soria and Valladolid) and Ull de llebre (Barcelona), Tempranillo (La Rioja).
Other locations: It is found today with its various names in practically all the wine regions of the Iberian Peninsula. It is also grown in the French Mediterranean and in California (USA).
Description and aptitude: Upright growth habit. Large, pentagonal, leaves with a dark green face and a downy underside. The cluster is medium-sized, very compact and cylindrical with wings. The berries are medium-sized, spherical and blue-black. Medium-late ripening. It is very sensitive to powdery mildew and somewhat sensitive to downy mildew.
Characteristics: It is one of the most elegant Spanish varieties. Its wines have an intense colour, with medium acidity and medium-high alcohol content. The young wines are very elegant and aromatic. Its best qualities are expressed in aged wines, which show great balance.
Designation of Origin: Bullas.
Other names: Alcayata (Albacete), Garrut (Tarragona and Saragossa), Del reyno (Murcia), Mandó (Palma de Mallorca).
Other locations: Mediterranean littoral.
Description and aptitude: Upright growth habit. The leaves are medium-sized, trilobate, with a woody face and a light green, cottony underside. The cluster is small or medium-sized, very compact, short and tapered. The berries are medium-sized, spherical and blue-black. This plant is medium-budding and late-ripening. It is sensitive to downy mildew, sour rot and powdery mildew.
Characteristics: It produces slightly dry, meaty, alcoholic wines that are highly pigmented, tannic and structured. They are relatively resistant to oxidation, suitable for making rancio and sweet wines. In the Murcia area they produce reds and clarets with an alcohol content between 14% and 18%.
Designation of Origin: Rueda.
Other names: verdeja, verdejo/a blanco/a (Oviedo, Segovia, Valladolid and Zamora).
Other locations: Duero district, Toro, Zamora, Asturias and Liébana (Cantabria).
Description and aptitude: Trailing growth habit. The leaves are medium-sized, orbicular, with shallow lateral sinuses, a dark green face and glabrous underside. The cluster is small, loose, short and tapered. The berry is small with a short elliptical shape and green. The plant is early-medium budding and ripening. It is very sensitive to powdery mildew. Its excellent adaptation to the environment allows it to resist cold temperatures, extreme heat and droughts.
Characteristics: It is one of the best Spanish white grapes, of exquisite quality, producing very aromatic, smooth, full-bodied wines.
Designation of Origin: Rías Baixas.
Other names: Alvarinho, azal blanco.
Other locations: Galicia (Spain) and Portugal.
Description and aptitude: Semi-upright growth habit. The leaves are small in size and almost whole, with very shallow lateral sinuses, a bright green face and an almost glabrous underside. The cluster is small in size, either with double wings or short and tapered. The berries are medium-sized, ovoid, acuminate, yellowish green, with a curious flavour. Early-budding and medium-ripening. It is sensitive to powdery mildew.
Characteristics: It produces exquisite wines that are aromatic and well-balanced with an excellent flavour. They have elegant floral and spicy aromas, and a fresh, glyceric, tasty mouthfeel with a highly nuanced, velvety finish.
Designation of Origin: Empordà-Costa Brava.
Other names: Cartuja blanca, cartuxa, cartoixa, pansá blanca, xarelo blanco, xarelo, xarello moll, pansalet, vinyater (Barcelona); Pensal blanco (Palma de Mallorca); Pansal, viñate (Tarragona).
Other locations: Catalonia. A minority species in Extremadura, Levant, Andalusia and the Ebro Basin.
Description and aptitude: Native grape variety to Penedès. Trailing growth habit. The leaves are large, pentagonal in shape, with not very marked lateral sinuses, bottle-green face and downy underside. The cluster is small or medium-sized, compact, short and tapered. The berries are medium-sized, spherical and yellowish. Medium-budding and medium-ripening. It is sensitive to downy mildew and powdery mildew.
Characteristics: It is one of the varieties of choice in Catalan wine regions. In sunny, low-altitude areas, its qualitative performance is particularly notable. Its wines have an average alcohol content (11-12%). They are well-balanced, elegant and silky in the mouth.
Designation of Origin: Montilla-Moriles.
Other names: Pedro Jiménez, Pedro Ximénez, Ximénez (Cadiz, Cordoba, Granada, Huelva and Málaga); Chironés (Alicante).
Other locations: Andalusia, Extremadura, Levant, Canary Islands and Catalonia in Spain. Argentina, Chile, Australia, South Africa and New Zealand.
Description and aptitude: Upright growth habit. The leaves are medium-to-large, pentagonal in shape, with marked, deep, lateral sinuses, a green face and a steely underside. The cluster is medium-sized, with an average compactness and an elongated conical shape. The berries are medium-sized, slightly flattened on the ends and golden yellow. The plant is medium-budding and medium-early ripening. It is sensitive to downy mildew, powdery mildew and grey rot.
Characteristics: This grape variety is mainly used for the manufacture of fine, amontillado and oloroso wines. The result is an opaque wine with a concentrated, toasty, raisiny flavour.
Origins: Germany.
Other names: Niederländer, Klingelberger (Austria); Petit Rhin (Switzerland); Riesling renano (Italy); White Riesling (California, USA).
Location: Germany, Austria, Australia, Bulgaria, Slovakia, Spain, France, Hungary, Italy, Luxembourg, South Africa, Switzerland.
Description and aptitude: The leaves are orbicular, bulging, with ogival teeth and a spidery underside. The clusters are small, cylindrical and compact. The berries are spherical and small, light green or golden yellow. It is of medium vigour. Its fertility is abundant and regular. It is sensitive to powdery mildew and grey rot.
Characteristics: It produces very aromatic, dry wines that age well. It is also used to make late harvest wines from noble rot grapes.
Origins: France.
?Other names: Carbouet, petit bouschet, bouschet, marchoupet, petit cabernet, petit parde (France); Burdeos tinto (Spain); Kaberne-sovinjon (Russia and Bulgaria); Petit cabernet (Morocco).
?Location: France (Anjou, Tourine, Pays, Nantais, Bordeaux, south west area), Spain, Italy, Bulgaria, Greece, Romania, Lebanon, Chile, Argentina, Mexico, California (USA), New Zealand, Australia, South Africa.
?Description and aptitude: Upright growth habit. The leaves are small and orbicular, with very pronounced lateral sinuses with seven lobes, a very dark green face and a slightly downy underside. The cluster is small-sized, very compact, short and cylindrical. The berries are small, spherical, thick-skinned and hard, with a deep, black pigment. Its pulp is firm, friable and tart. It is sensitive to powdery mildew, downy mildew and grape blister mite.
?Characteristics: Its wines are typically dense and aristocratic, with a deep colour, complex fruity aromas, elegant structure and suitability for ageing. They develop a distinctive range of floral aromas (violets, roses), fruit trees (blueberries, black currants, raspberries, blackberries) and vegetables (green peppers, coffee beans). These aromas can be made more complex with ageing, exhibiting notes of smoke, cedar, incense, liquorice and truffles.
Origins: France.
?Other names: Pressac, auxerrois, balouzat, ebalouzat, jacobin, oeil, pied de Perdrix, pied noir, claveire noire, beran, tinturin, côt (France).
?Location: France, Italy, Spain, Argentina, Chile, Peru, California (USA), New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.
?Description and aptitude: The leaves are orbicular and loose, with the edges of the leaf blade rolled, either whole or slightly trilobate and a spidery underside. The berries are spherical and small, bluish-black with a thin skin and soft pulp. It is very sensitive to downy mildew, excoriose and frosts in winter.
?Characteristics: Wines made with this variety have a wealth of colour and tannins, being less fragrant and more tender than cabernets.
Origins: France.
?Other names: Crabutet noir, plant Médoc, bigney rouge, plan Médoc, plant du fleuve, sémillon rouge, vitraelle, Alicante (France).
?Location: France, Italy, Slovenia, Hungary, Romania, Bulgaria, Spain, Argentina, United States, Australia, South Africa.
?Description and aptitude: The leaves are medium-sized, cuneiform, with shallow lateral sinuses, a dark green face and a spidery underside. The cluster is medium-sized and loose with an elongated conical shape. The berries are small, spherical and blue-black. It is a moderately vigorous plant with an upright habit, medium-budding, canes with short internodes and a balanced canopy as a whole. It is sensitive to downy mildew and grey rot.
?Characteristics: It produces a very fine, intense ruby-red wine that is quite alcoholic with a lightly herbaceous flavour. Jammy aromas dominate and it usually shows little acidity. Blended with Cabernet can improve its quality.
Habitat: Humid forests.
Location: From New England to Georgia.
Plant characteristics Medium-sized clusters, with medium-large berries, blue-black in colour with a strange flavour. The pulp separates easily from the skin.
Aptitudes (tolerances): Not very resistant to phylloxera, without galls on the leaves. It tolerates powdery mildew but has some problems with downy mildew. Susceptible to grey rot. It responds poorly to drought. Difficult rooting.
Utility: Its Concorde and Isabella varieties are widespread as dessert grapes and also used to make wines, although they are not particularly appreciated.
Origins: Geilweilerhof Institute, Sibeldingen (Germany), cross between 6468 seibel and 6905 seibel. Third period.
?Other names: 12.375 seyve-villard.
?Description and aptitude: Vigorous plant. Bright, medium-sized leaves. Large, golden yellow berries with remarkably-sized pips. Quite resistant to downy mildew, but rather susceptible to powdery mildew.
?Characteristics: This plant was one of the most widely used hybrid producers, although it has fallen into disuse. The wine is off colour and slightly bitter, unsuitable for quality production. It has also been used as parent for obtaining other varieties.
Cross: Vitis berlandieri x vitis rupestris.
?Aptitudes: It is one of the most widely used rootstocks in Spain. Its resistance to phylloxera is good. It does exhibit some problems with nematodes. Its behaviour in limestone soils is acceptable. It endures drought well. It does not tolerate permanent moisture in the subsoil. It does not find too many disadvantages in compact soils. It is quite sensitive to salinity. It is markedly vigorous.
Common name: Virginia creeper, five-leaved ivy, or five-finger.
?Habitat: Well-drained soils. Often grows on large trees.
?Location: A native of the U.S. State of Virginia, it is quite widely grown for ornamental purposes.
?Plant characteristics: The leaf is neatly divided into five leaflets. In autumn, it turns a very distinctive reddish colour. Forked tendrils. Small clusters of 5 to 12 black-coloured berries with a strange flavour. Very vigorous and an excellent climber.
?Aptitudes (tolerances): Good resistance to low temperatures. It tolerates droughts.
?Utility: Gardening.
Other names: Royal gordo (Madrid).
?Description and aptitude: Medium, trilobate, with down on both sides. The cluster is medium-sized, cylindrical and loose. The berries are very thick, elongated, ovoid and pink and the pips are very long. Late ripening.
?Characteristics: Dessert grape.
Location: It is one of the most widespread grape varieties of the world. It probably originates in Afghanistan. It is also grown in Turkey, Iran, California (USA), Greece, Australia, Chile, South Africa, Russia, Syria, China, Lebanon, Argentina, Mexico, Morocco, Spain, Israel, Pakistan, Algeria, Libya, Tunisia, Yemen, Italy, Portugal, Romania and Oman.
?Other names: Kishmish safid, kichmichi à Kandahar (Afghanistan); Kis-mis alb (Romania); Kismis belii ovalny (Russia); Sultanine blanche (Greece and Cyprus); Cekizdecsis (Turkey); Bealo bez seme (Bulgaria); Fehér szultan, szultan szölö, kismis (Hungary); Thompson seedless (USA, South Africa and Australia); Banati, roumined (Egypt); Kechmish blanc, akouno of Rhodes, sultani of Crete (Greece).
?Description and aptitude: It has light green, bright, pentalobate, orbicular leaves that are glabrous on both sides. The cluster is large, loose, quite branched and tapered. The berries are small, ellipsoid or ovoid and white and with rudimentary seeds. It is sensitive to powdery mildew and downy mildew, so it performs better on dry land.
?Characteristics: A very useful grape variety. Fresh, it has very nice flavour and texture. In Arab countries it is mainly used to make raisins, a high-energy food, thanks to its sugar concentration. It is also used for winemaking purposes, primarily in California (USA). It normally produces quite neutral wines. This variety is more interesting for making wine alcohol intended for distillation.
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