Flowering: The vine flowers early, which makes it vulnerable to late spring frosts and possible frost damage. The flowers are small and light yellow. The leaves are large, 5-lobed, dark green. In autumn they become a great ornament, gradually turning yellow-orange and then red or even purple, beautifully contrasting with the dark, almost black clusters.

Ripening and fruiting: The fruits are dark blue-black with a heavy waxy bloom, spherical, gathered in very large conical clusters reaching even over 0.5 kg in weight. This is due to the large berries weighing 3–5 g each. Dornfelder is distinguished by its dark-coloured juice, which is rare, as the flesh and juice of most red grape varieties are usually colourless and the colour comes from the skins. Late harvesting is recommended, best from mid-October, when the fruit is fully ripe. Then the wines are of excellent quality, well balanced and gain fresh fruity notes.

Growing conditions and requirements: Dornfelder requires fertile, well-drained and deep soils. It is very sensitive both to drought and to excessive soil moisture. Soil pH should be neutral to alkaline. The best positions are partially shaded sites. When planted in sunny places, regular watering is required.

Care: The vine has no special requirements regarding the training system, but the trunk should be high enough so that the large clusters do not touch the ground. It yields well when medium pruning (3–5 buds) or long pruning (3–8 buds) is used. Unfortunately, the first two buds from the base often do not set clusters or fruit very weakly. This is a variety with low frost resistance; in some regions it may require winter protection or covering of the base.

Use: Dornfelder grapes are used to produce dark wines with a velvety texture, often with flavours of dark fruits such as plums, blackberries, cherries or blueberries. Sometimes they also show light floral notes. These wines are usually aged in oak barrels, and nutty aromas can also be detected. Dornfelder wine is considered one of the healthiest due to its high content of substances that help prevent high blood pressure.