Muller-Thurgau

Definition - What does Muller-Thurgau mean?

Muller- Thurgau is a white wine varietal, which is generally produced in Germany, England, Hungary, New Zealand, the Czech Republic and many other countries. It is considered to be included in some of the most widely planted grape varieties all over the world, with a total of 104 thousand acres of land covered with its vineyards across the globe. The grape is also called Rivaner since it is a cross of species of Riesling and the Silvaner.

WineFrog explains Muller-Thurgau

It is said that towards the end of the 19th century, Dr. Hermann Muller, a Swiss botanist, wanted to combine the characteristics of two famous grape varieties - Riesling and Silvaner. Dr. Muller was disappointed to know that the hybrid that the cross of these two resulted in did not have the characteristics of both of these. But after about eighty years from that date, Germany’s most planted grape was this hybrid grape variety- the Muller-Thurgau. This was possible because of its ability to grow in a wide variety of conditions.

Muller- Thurgau is no longer the most planted grape in Germany, but it still covers up 20% of the entire German acreage. Because of its easy and economical plantation methods, the Muller- Thurgau wines are blended with other wines to produce sweet and cheap German wines. The varietal Muller- Thurgau wines are recognized for their low acidity yet fruit flavors with sweet peach scents.