Grauburgunder

The names for Grauburgunder (Pinot Gris) can vary. In the past, this white wine was often referred to as Ruländer and even today there are wine regions with this synonym for Grauburgunder. In French it is called Pinot Gris and the Italians say Pinot Grigio. Or its name is Szürkebarát.

Ruländer goes back to the merchant Johann Ruland, who is said to have discovered the grape variety in a garden in Speyer. The wine had already been cultivated in Burgundy and travelled to Germany via Switzerland and Hungary. According to legend, it was from there that Emperor Charles IV brought it to Hungary, where it was cultivated by monks. This would also explain the Hungarian synonym for Grauburgunder. Because there it is called Szürkebarát (grey monk). For a white grape variety, Grauburgunder has a rather dark skin. The colouring ranges from reddish to red and, as the name suggests, can sometimes be grey or reddish with grey.