white grape · regional staple
Sylvaner
Austria
Say it
sil·vah·ner
Stress on second syllable; 'v' is voiced. Both spellings (Sylvaner/Silvaner) are common; German usage favors Silvaner.
On the palate
green applepearlemonwhite peachhaywet stone
How you spot it blind: fresh hay and wet-stone minerality over restrained, texture-driven fruit
The story
First written down · 1659, Castell, Franconia, Germany
DNA fingerprinting confirmed Silvaner is a cross of Savagnin Blanc × Österreichisch Weiß; first formally documented at Castell, Franconia on April 5, 1659, it was Germany's most widely planted white grape until Müller-Thurgau overtook it around 1970.
Family tree: SAVAGNIN BLANC × OESTERREICHISCH WEISS
Where it lives
Franken, Germany · Rheinhessen, Germany · Alsace, France · Valais, Switzerland
Shows up as
still whitesweetCrémant d'AlsaceFranken
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Also answers to Silvaner.
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