Frankish and Hunnic grape varieties

Another possibility is that heunisch derives not directly from the Huns but from a related old Low German word for "large" (hunisc, cf archaic Modern German Hüne "hulk, giant") that was applied to grape varieties with large berries (huniscdrubo in the Summarium Heinrici) which give higher yields than the smaller-berried "Frankish" varieties, but wines of lower quality and less concentrated flavours.

[1] It could be noted that more than 500 years of not very well-documented viticultural history and highly uncertain grape identification separate Charlemagne and these written claims.

DNA profiling from the 1990s has revealed that many classical grape varieties are crosses with parents in both the Frankish and Hunnic groups.

[2] Three examples with Gouais blanc as one parent are Chardonnay, which is a cross with Pinot (probably Pinot noir), Riesling, whose other parent is an undetermined cross with Traminer parentage, and indeed Blaufränkisch itself, which derives from Gouais blanc and the Argant clone Blaue Zimmettraube.

This has led to a resurged interest in the Hunnic grapes, many of which lead a dwindling existence and are on the brink of becoming extinct.