Have you tasted a good Monarch? Then let me know in the comments. Project Inspired by:Jancis Robinson / Julia Harding / José Vouillamoz: Wine Grapes (2012).https://amzn.to/4niaJ7M (Affiliate Link)LinksFalstaff Tasting: https://www.falstaff.com/at/rebsorten/monarchMore about PIWI's: https://coolclimatesummit.com/blog/piwi-varietals/Monarch in the VIVC: https://www.vivc.de/index.php?r=passport%2Fview&id=19995Wine tasted: https://winaswiata.com/wina-lubuskie/633-monarch-winnica-trojan.htmlWine festival Zielona Gora: Follow Uncorkmywine on Social MediaInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/uncorkmywine_official/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/uncorkmywine/LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jan-eggers/Tiktok: https://www.tiktok.com/@uncorkmywineMonarch is a rare red wine variety from Germany. It was crossed in 1988 by Norbert Becker at the Freiburg Weinbau Institute. It is based on the German red wine variety Dornfelder crossed with the German white wine variety Solaris (Dornfelder x Solaris). Solaris itself is a so-called PIWI variety, a variety that is crossed using wines from at least two different vitis species. Our European varieties like Riesling, Chardonnay, or Pinot Noir belong to the species vitis vinifera. But there are other species in the world, e.g. the Asian varieties of the vitis amurensis species, or the American varieties of the vitis labrusca species. By introducing genes from those species into a crossing, a hybrid variety is the result, that usually has some of the positive features of the other species genes introduced, e.g. frost resistance (Asian amurensis species) or resistance against mildew and other American diseases (American labrusca species). The name Monarch should resemble nobility, probably due to the grape varieties deep and luxurious appearance in the glass and its intense berry profile. However, it never really made it to becoming a respected variety with global plantings today probably below 30 hectares. Germany accounts for 17 hectares (2023), followed by undisclosed plantings in Switzerland and Poland. It is early ripening, frost resistent and shows good ability to cope with both powdery and downy mildew.I am tasting a wine from Poland, that I got at a local wine festival in the town of Zielona Gora. Winnica Trojan Monarch 2022Link: https://winaswiata.com/wina-lubuskie/633-monarch-winnica-trojan.html