This grape variety is named after Rebo Rigotti, a researcher at the Istituto Agrario di San Michele all’Adige farming institute, who created this hybrid around 1920, with the intention of finding a substitute for Merlot for use in less disposed areas.
The Rebo cultivar, a result of a cross between Teroldego and Merlot, inherited the former’s habitus and the latter’s capacity to accumulate sugar.
The resulting variety is capable of yielding wines with the aroma of native grape Marzemino albeit supported by the structure of Merlot.
Upon harvest, the must resembles Merlot in terms of its sugar content, while the same cannot be said about its acidity as Rebo grape have a higher level of acidity.