Solaris at Vrangbækgaard
The right PIWI in the right place
The reference is Solaris
Solaris ripens in Denmark in 95 days from flowering to harvest, which corresponds to approx. 1 October. This means that it matures stably every year with a good yield and good acidity and aroma.
In southern Germany (Rheinland-Palatinate), Solaris ripens in mid-August.
Therefore, FastGrapes screens the plants at the same time in the hope that the plants that ripen at the same time as Solaris in Southern Germany can also ripen in Denmark 6 weeks later.
This must of course be verified in practice in a number of test plantings in several places in Denmark.
Ripening of Solaris in Denmark a hot and cold year
Screening and test planting
2020 |
5000 plants screened, 25 selected, planted 2022 |
2021 |
3500 plants screened, 6 selected, planted 2023 |
2022 |
6000 plants screened, 10 selected, planted 2024 |
2023 |
5000 plants screened, 17 selected, 2025 planted |
… |
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2030 |
The first commercially available varieties ready for sale? |
Selection criteria
A number of parameters are assessed on the mother plants at JKI.
- Health: the mother plant must have a healthy leaf wall with no or almost no signs of disease when grown outdoors under high disease pressure from the environment. Genetic markers are used to determine the presence of known resistance genes
- Yield and fruit quality: Total yield and growth parameters such as number of clusters, cluster size and structure (density). Berry size and quality (sugar content and chemical composition) as well as flavor characteristics.
- Growth parameters: Growth vigor and shoot structure. The plant must be easy to prune and care for (establish growth and get lateral shoots).
- Wine quality: The selected plants are harvested and microvinified, and the quality of the wine is assessed by a tasting panel.
The fast track strategy
The process of selection and testing usually takes many years before the final plants can be approved and released for sale in nurseries.
Here is the normal process at JKI:
We try to shorten and optimize this process by following a 'fast-track' strategy, where as much shoot material as possible is harvested directly from the mother plant (usually approx. 40 nodes from each plant). These are grafted onto SO4 rootstocks and distributed as bare root plants to as many test fields as possible. In this way, FastGrapes acquires a wide range of experience within a few years, which can be used as a basis for the final selection of the plants to be registered as new varieties.
The first plants are distributed to 10 locations. 6 in Denmark, 2 in Sweden, and 2 in Germany. Subsequently, it was expanded with a further 6 locations in Denmark, Northern Germany, Belgium, Norway and Latvia.
After 2-3 years of harvest (year 5 after planting), the final candidates are selected to be propagated and through large-scale testing at 5 locations with 200 of each plant to test industrial harvest and vinification.
Year 1 to 5 |
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Years 6 to 10 |
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Years 11 to 15 |
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The ambition for the fast-track approach is to arrive at new varieties within 10 years from the selection of the mother plants in the open fields.