Sylvaner
Also known as Silvaner, Johannisberg
Probably Central Europe, Austria
A low-key, earthy white grape, a cross of Savagnin and the obscure Österreichisch Weiß, long the quiet backbone of Franconian and Alsatian whites.
Sensory profile
Characteristics
Flavor & aroma
At a glance
Production facts
Prevalence
Niche
Climate
Cool climate
Ripening
Early season
Wine styles
Still
Where it's grown
Geography
Shaded areas are the state, province or département(s) containing each region, so they run wider than the appellations themselves.
Background
Origin & History
DNA profiling in Austria showed Sylvaner to be a cross of Savagnin (Traminer) and Österreichisch Weiß, an old Austrian white now almost lost. Its name is usually linked to the Latin word for woodland, and the earliest record in Germany is at Castell, in Franconia, in 1659.
It was Germany's most planted white in the 19th century, until Müller-Thurgau overtook it. Today its best examples come from Franken, where it is bottled in the squat Bocksbeutel, and from Alsace and Rheinhessen. It is a parent of Neuburger, with Roter Veltliner.
Lineage
Family tree
Ancestry above, descendants below. Click a related grape to explore its own lineage.