Solaris: Why This Grape Thrives in Denmark | Ben Viehl, Skærsøgaard

Solaris is the grape of Nordic winemaking: a German PIWI that never really caught on at home but found its place in cool climates like Denmark, Sweden, Poland and the Netherlands. I visited Ben Viehl at Skærsøgaard in Dons near Kolding, Denmark's first commercially licensed winery and home of the country's only PDO. We walked through the Solaris vineyard, tasted the Solaris Classic 2023 and compared it with a high-altitude Solaris from Alto Adige. 🎥 My interview with Ben Viehl at the Cool Climate Wine Summit:    • Skærsøgaard Vingaard: Dons PDO Sparkling &...   🍇 Skærsøgaard (visits and shop): https://dansk-vin.dk 🍷 In the glass Skærsøgaard, Solaris Classic 2023 · Dons, Denmark · 11.5 % alc. Boutique Winery, Solaris · Alto Adige, Italy · vineyards at 1,150 m · 15 % alc. 🧬 The grape Solaris is a white, fungus-resistant (PIWI) variety, crossed in 1975 by Norbert Becker at the Staatliches Weinbauinstitut Freiburg: Merzling × Gm 6493 (Zarya Severa × Muscat Ottonel). It ripens extremely early: the sugar shoots up and the acidity drops fast, which makes it hard to fit into a German harvest but ideal for cool climates. Huge, closed, overlapping leaves and reddish young shoots make it easy to recognise in the vineyard. 📍 Denmark About 120 ha of professional vineyards, 4 PGIs (Bornholm, Zealand, Funen, Jutland) and 1 PDO: Dons, granted in 2018 for Skærsøgaard's sparkling wine. 📖 Source: Wine Grapes by Jancis Robinson, Julia Harding and José Vouillamoz ⏱ Chapters 0:00 Solaris and Nordic wine 0:43 Meet Ben Viehl 2:39 Skærsøgaard and the start of Danish wine 3:51 Dons, Denmark's only PDO 4:54 Solaris: crossing and early ripening 8:45 In the Solaris vineyard 10:23 How to recognise Solaris 12:54 Tasting: Solaris Classic 2023 15:11 Wax, yields and frost 18:02 Why Solaris works in Denmark 21:56 A Solaris from Alto Adige 24:32 Final thoughts The Wine Grapes Project: tasting all 1,368 grape varieties, one bottle at a time. 🌐 https://uncorkmywine.com #DanishWine #danskvin