Madeleine Royale is a variety of white grape. It is mostly grown for table grapes or ornamental purposes, but is notable as a parent of Müller-Thurgau and Madeleine Angevine. It ripens extremely early, in some cases by the 22 July, the feast day of Mary Magdalene, hence the name.
History
Madeleine Royale was selected in 1845 in the Loire nurseries of Moreau-Robert. It was believed to be a seedling of Chasselas (Gutedel), but DNA fingerprinting has shown that it is a cross of Pinot and Trollinger.
Crosses
Recent DNA evidence has shown that Madeleine Royale pollinated Riesling to produce Müller-Thurgau, one of the most widely planted grapes in Germany.
A little is grown in Austria, Belgium, England and Romania.
Vine and viticulture
The bunches are conical, winged and compact. The grapes have a slight muscat taste. The extremely early ripening means that Madeleine Royale and its offspring are well suited to vineyards at high latitudes and altitudes. The extremely thin skins cause two problems - it is vulnerable to fungal diseases, and to damage in transit.
^Maul, Erika; Töpfer, Reinhard; Eibach, Rudolf (2007). "Vitis International Variety Catalogue". Institute for Grapevine Breeding Geilweilerhof (IRZ), Siebeldingen, Germany. Retrieved 2007-08-29.
^Maul, E.; Eibach, R. (2006). "European Vitis Database". Information and Coordination Centre for Biological Diversity (IBV) of the Federal Agency for Agriculture and Food (BLE), Deichmanns Aue 29, 53179 Bonn, Germany. Archived from the original on 2007-08-22. Retrieved 2007-08-28.