Origin: Calardis Royal was crossed at the Julius Kühn Institute, Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof, in 2004 and registered for plant variety protection with the Federal Plant Variety Office in 2024. The variety belongs to a new generation of breeds that are specifically designed to meet the challenges of climate change.

Interbreeding: Calandro × MTP 3082-1-49
Its genetic background includes numerous high-quality European grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Grenache and Merlot.

Characteristics: Calardis Royal buds early and is characterised by its upright growth, which offers advantages in terms of labour efficiency. The variety has good resistance to fungal diseases, which means that plant protection costs can be reduced by up to 80%. Despite its rather compact bunches, it has medium to high botrytis resistance. The firm skin of the berries provides additional robustness, including against pests such as the cherry vinegar fly. The ripening time is medium to late and comparable to Merlot, making the variety particularly suitable for warmer climatic conditions.

Grapes: The grapes are fairly compact and consist of small, black berries. Despite the dense structure of the grapes, Calardis Royal shows medium to high resistance to botrytis.

Wine: Calardis Royal produces complex, full-bodied red wines with intense aromas of dark berries such as blackberry, elderberry and dark cherry. The aroma spectrum is complemented by spicy notes of tobacco and clove, and in warm vintages also by Mediterranean hints. The wines have strong, structuring tannins and good ageing potential. Ageing in wooden barrels or barriques is particularly recommended in order to harmoniously integrate the tannins and give the wine additional depth and elegance.

Location requirements: Calardis Royal prefers warm locations with good sunlight exposure in order to reach its medium to late ripeness. Due to its early budding, planting in locations prone to late frost should be avoided.