Hron (grape)

Hron is a red Slovakian wine grape variety that is a crossing of the Southwest France wine grapes Abouriou and Castets. The variety was created in 1976 at the VSSVVM Research and Breeding Station for Enology and Viticulture in Modra. The grape was named after the Hron river, a tributary of the Danube that is the second longest river in Slovakia. Along with Nitranka, Rimava and Váh, which were created using the same parent varieties, Hron was officially authorized for commercial wine production in 2011.

Viticulture

Hron is a late budding grapevine that ripens in the mid-late portions of the harvest season. The variety needs to be planted in deep, warm vineyard soils as it is very susceptible to winter frosts and cooler soils can delay its ripening. It has some resistance to the viticultural hazard of botrytis bunch rot but can be susceptible to fungal infections from powdery mildew.

Wine regions

Being only officially authorized for wine production since 2011, Hron is not yet widely planted in Slovakia with 5 hectares (12 acres) of the grape planted in 2011. It is currently found in the Južnoslovenská and Malokarpatská wine regions of southwest Slovakia.

Hron

Hron (Slovak: Hron, German: Gran, Hungarian: Garam, Latin: Granus) is a 298-kilometre (185 mi) long left tributary of the Danube and the second longest river in Slovakia. It flows from its source located in the Low Tatra mountains (under Kráľova hoľa) through central and southern Slovakia, pouring into the Danube near Štúrovo and Esztergom. Major cities and towns situated on the Hron are Brezno, Banská Bystrica, Sliač, Zvolen, Žiar nad Hronom, Žarnovica, Nová Baňa, Tlmače, Levice, Želiezovce, and Štúrovo.

The river's basin covers approximately 11 percent of Slovakia's territory.

History

The name of the river was mentioned for the first time in 170, when Roman Emperor Marcus Aurelius wrote his Meditations at the Hron (Latin: Granus) river. The first recorded medieval name was Gron (1075). From the 17th century until the 1930s, the river was used for wood transport.

References

Coordinates: 47°49′N 18°45′E / 47.817°N 18.750°E / 47.817; 18.750