Life Style / Wine Grapes / Bernarde: Variety grown in the Valais region of Switzerland. Has the premier synonym name Prie Blanc where grown in the Valle d'Aosta, Italy. In this latter region it is used to produce a sought after wine, 'Blanc de Morgex et de La Salle'. The vines are planted with the 'pergola bassa' (ie. low pergola) system that trains the vines near the ground in trellised arbors with stone columns surrounded by terraced rock walls designed to protect the vines from snowfall and strong winds whilst allowing the vines to absorb the heat stored in the rocks/ground during daylight hours. Grape pickers must bend, or lie, close to the ground during harvest. Vine has very late budbreak (May?) and ripens in mid-season (mid-September). The cultivar is best suited for the sandy, gravelly soils found in higher altitude post-glaciated regions and so can be own rooted where phylloxera is subject to winter kill. The wine is reported to be crisp yet delicate due to its high acidity.
Search Google for Bernarde: