Blauer Portugieser, also known simply as Portugieser, is a red grape variety found mainly in Rhine Hesse, the Palatinate and the wine regions of Lower Austria, Slovenia and Croatia. It is also allowed in the production of the Hungarian wine Egri Bikavér (literally meaning bull's blood). In 2007, it reached its peak in terms of hectares under vine, no less than 4,500 in Germany, which represented 4.5% of the total area under vine. It normally produces a rather simple and light red wine, characterised by great freshness and ease of drinking, and is also vinified in a rosé version. The nose can recall hints of liquorice and gentian. In recent decades, Blauer Portugieser has shown great complexity when vinified in oak, which provides additional aromas that make it similar to the more famous Bordeaux grapes. DNA profiling has shown that Blauer Portugieser is a cross between Grüner Silvaner (male parent) and Blaue Zimmettraube (female parent; in turn a descendant of Blauer Gänsfüsser). Historical ampelographic sources have provided very solid evidence that the geographical area of origin of the variety is Lower Styria (today's Slovenian Styria).This grape adapts well to cool climates and is relatively easy to grow due to its high resistance to various vine and grape diseases such as coulure. It does, however, have a certain susceptibility to powdery mildew. It is generally a very prolific variety with yields often reaching 120 hl/ha. As a curiosity, Blauer Portugieser is also used as a table grape in Eastern European regions despite the fact that the EU prohibits the sale of wine grapes as table grapes.