Helfensteiner is a dark-skinned German wine
grape crossing of the species Vitis vinifera,
that was created in 1931 with the crossing
of Frühburgunder (Pinot Précoce noir) and
Trollinger (Schiava Grossa).
It was created by August Herold at the grape
breeding institute in Weinsberg in the Württemberg
region.The name of the variety is derived
from that of the castle ruin Helfenstein close
to Geislingen an der Steige.
A relatively small amount of Helfensteiner
is cultivated in Württemberg, 19 hectares
(47 acres) in 2008 (and less than 1 ha in
the rest of Germany combined).
It produces red wines of a fruity character,
and rosé wines.
The reason for the variety's limited popularity
with growers is its very variable yield, which
is due to its susceptibility to flowering
problems.
Helfensteiner was later, in 1955, crossed
by Herold with Heroldrebe to produce the much
more successful Dornfelder.
The variety Hegel shares the same parentage
as Dornfelder.
== Synonyms ==
Helfensteiner is also known under its breeding
code Weinsberg S 5332 and the synonyms Blauer
Weinsberger and Helfensteyner
