Elbling

Elbling () is a variety of white grape (sp. Vitis vinifera) which today is primarily grown in the upstream parts of the Mosel region in Germany and in Luxembourg, where the river is called Moselle. The variety has a long history, and used to cover much of Germany's vineyards from medieval times and was that country's most cultivated variety until the early 20th century, but has been in decline ever since. As of 2006, there were of Elbling vineyards in Germany, which made it the country's 23rd most grown variety of grape. Of that vineyard surface, 575 ha or 98.6% was found in the Mosel region In the same year, there were of Elbling grown in Luxembourg.

==History and origin== It has been speculated that Elbling was grown along Mosel already in Roman times, and that it could even be identical to the Vitis albuelis described by Columella in his De re rustica and the Vitis alba described by Pliny the Elder, although this has by no means been proven. Both Latin names mean "the white grape" and would then have been corrupted to Elbling at some later stage. DNA profiling has indicated that Elbling is an offspring of Gouais blanc (also known as Heunisch) and a cross between Traminer and some unidentified variety. This parentage is consistent with Elbling being an ancient grape variety, and incidentally, it is the same parentage as for Riesling. This parentage and history makes it likely that Elbling originated somewhere in the Rhine area.