Our Vineyard

White Grape Varieties

• Brianna

  Brianna

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  A very vigorous and winter hardy white wine grape developed by Elmer Swenson as ES 7-4-76 and later named Brianna. Berries are greenish gold to gold when fully ripe in early to mid September. It is easily managed in the vineyard and appears to tolerate 2,4 D drift. It makes a pleasant white wine with tropical (pineapple) aromas and flavor.

• Frontenac Blanc

  Frontenac Blanc

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  Frontenac blanc grapes are white-fruited mutations of Frontenac and Frontenac gris, recently discovered, in separate cases, by several growers in Minnesota and Canada. The grapes are yellow to gold when ripe (lacking pigment) and yield a very light straw-colored wine.

  This is an exciting new development for cold climate growers. Frontenac has proven to be an outstanding vine and Frontenac gris shows exactly the same vine growth and disease resistance traits.

  We have every reason to expect that to be true of Frontenac blanc as well. This will make it easy to manage with the same cultural practices as Frontenac and Frontenac gris.

  Initial trial vinifications of Frontenac blanc indicate that it produces wines that are distinctly different from Frontenac gris in flavor and aroma.

• Frontenac Gris

  Frontenac Gris

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  Found growing at the University of Minnesota as a sport of Frontenac.

  Culturally, it is identical to Frontenac, having high vigor and yields. Hardy to at least -38 F. Disease resistance is good, with moderate suseptability to powdery mildew and black rot, and very low suseptability to downy mildew. Small grey berries are born on medium sized, loose clusters. Berry splitting and botrytis have not been observed.

  Suitable for high quality table and dessert wines, possibly ice wine as well. Ripens mid season with aromas that include peach, apricot, citrus, and pineapple. Labrusca and herbaceous aromas have not been detected.

• Itasca

  Itasca

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  Named after Lake Itasca in northwestern Minnesota, the source lake of the Mississippi River, this white wine grape variety, Itasca, was released in 2017. It has demonstrated extreme cold hardiness, high-quality fruit chemistry with low acidity, and disease resistance.

  Itasca grapes produce medium to large-sized clusters weighing 95-145 grams. They can be harvested at sugar levels between 24.7-28.2 °Brix and pH levels between 3.04 and 3.31. The target titratable acidity (TA) for Itasca has been set at 8.7 to 10.8 g/L, although levels below 6 g/L have been observed. Bud break occurs before that of Frontenacs but is generally on time with or slightly later than Marquette. Secondary and tertiary nodes may bud simultaneously and should be pruned to prevent overcrowding. In some seasons, Itasca can remain on the vine longer for late harvest-style winemaking, but berry integrity must be closely monitored.

  The Itasca variety, with its sufficiently low acidity, produces a high-quality, dry white wine. Its clean, pleasant, light-yellow color yields a wine with a long finish. The wine showcases aromas of pear, quince, violet, and melon, complemented by subtle hints of honey, minerals, and floral notes.

• La Crescent

  La Crescent

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  This is one of the best of the new white wine selections from U Minn, St. Pepin x ES 6-8-25; U of M, 2002.

  This variety is very cold hardy; trunks have survived -36° F. Vigor and productivity are medium. It ripens mid-season, and neither berry splitting nor botrytis have been observed, even under wet conditions. It has long medium sized slightly loose clusters and turns a beautiful golden brown color when ripe.It requires a careful spray program to control black rot and downy mildew. Sugar can develop to 22-27 brix with high acid.

  It is an excellent blending component to add good aromatics to more neutral white wines. The wine can be very good, balanced, and with good body. Similar to a good Vignole or Riesling but with apricot and honey in the nose and flavor.

• La Crosse

  La Crosse

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  LaCrosse was developed by Elmer Swenson in 1961, (MN 78 x S. 1000) x Seyval.

  It is hardy to -25 F. Vigor, productivity, and disease resistance are moderate. LaCrosse ripens fairly late and needs a warm summer to reach 20 Brix.

  This is one of the leading white wine varieties in some upper midwest states. Good varietal wines have been made in a dry and semi-dry style and are clean, fruity, with good acidity.Wine flavors can include pear, apricot, and muscat. Makes a good dry white wine fermented in oak with ML fermentation.

• St. Pepin

  St. Pepin

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  Developed by Elmer Swenson in 1981, (MN 78 x S. 1000) x Seyval.

  A sister seedling of LaCrosse but hardier, to around -26 F. This variety is pistallite, meaning that it has only female flowers and must be planted near other varieites to ensure proper fruit set. It should be pruned to a high bud count to make sure there is adequate fruit production. Small berries are formed on medium loose clusters. Ripens mid season to about 20 brix and 1.0% total acidity. One row of St. Pepin next to one row of another variety will do well. This vine has average susceptibility to downy mildew, powdery mildew, and black rot.

  Excellent wines have been made from St. Pepin as a varietal and also blended with LaCrosse. When well ripened, fruit quality is similar to Reisling. St. Pepin also makes a pleasing juice, unlike many wine grapes.

• Clarion

  Clarion

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  Description coming soon.

Red Grape Varieties

• Frontenac

  Frontenac

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  Frontenac is the first in a series of grapes specially developed for cold weather climates by the University of Minnesota. It was introduced in 1995/96 and is a cross of V. riparia 89 with the French hybrid Landot 4511, resulting in a grape exhibiting some of the best characteristics of each.

  Frontenac is very cold hardy, having borne a full crop after temperatures as low as -30 F. It is also a very disease resistant variety with good resistance to powdery mildew and near-immunity to downy. It produces small black berries in medium to large clusters that are usually slightly loose, resulting in reduced incidences of berry splitting and bunch rot, even in wet years. Frontenac has been a consistently heavy producer and sometimes requires cluster thinning. It is a vigorous variety and usually becomes established very quickly. Frontenac ripens in late midseason. Initially acids are high, but often drop dramatically late in the season, so it is important to let the fruit hang long enough to fully mature, to reduce the acidity to workable levels. Frontenac is a good sugar producer with 24-25 brix not uncommon.

  Frontenac wine typically has a pleasant cherry aroma with berry and plum evident in many cases. The color is usually a garnet red, but can become excessively dark with long periods of skin time. Malolactic fermentation is essential to reduce the wine’s high acidity. Tannin levels are usually relatively low.

• Marquette

  Marquette

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  The cross for Marquette was made in 1992 from MN 1094 and Ravat 262 (a French pinot noir grape), combining the hardiness and early ripening qualities of a wild grape with the ideal chemical content of a traditional wine grape. In terms of cold hardiness, it has withstood temperatures as low as -36° F without serious injury. Resistance to common grape diseases (downy mildew, powdery mildew and black rot), has been excellent and the vine requires only a minimal spray program. Resistance to infestation by foliar phylloxera has been moderate. The open, orderly, and somewhat upright growth habit of Marquette is considered highly desirable for efficient vineyard management and fruit exposure to the sun conducive to maximizing wine quality. Shoots typically have two small to medium clusters per shoot, thus avoiding the need for cluster thinning. Marquette ripens in mid-season, a few days before the standard cultivar Frontenac. Sugar levels for Marquette have been high, averaging 26.1° brix. Acid levels have also been higher than most cultivars (1.19%) although lower than that of Frontenac (1.50%). This level of titratable acidity has been found to be quite manageable by experienced winemakers.

  Marquette yields have averaged 5.46 Kg/ vine or 3.6 tons/acre.

  Experimental wines from Marquette have been excellent, exceeding nearly all non-V. vinifera varieties in quality ratings. Tasters have noted an attractive deep red color, desirable aromas of cherry, black pepper, spice, and berry, and moderate tannin structure.

• Norton (trial section)

  Norton

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  Norton is a native North American grape and one of the few that is used in winemaking. There is still some disagreement as to whether Norton and Cynthiana are the same, or if they are related varieties. The variety was developed by Dr. D.N. Norton of Richmond, VA in the early 1800’s, although there is controversy regarding it’s origins. Norton wine has been made in the Herman, Missouri area since the mid 1850’s and still thrives. Winemakers in Arkansas, Kansas, and Virginia also feature some Norton wines.

  We feel Norton may be cold hardy enough for our location, but we aren’t sure if we will have a long enough growing season for it to thrive here.

• Petite Pearl

  Petite Pearl

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  Petite Pearl was developed by Tom Plocher, a grape breeder and cold climate viticulture expert. It was made available to growers in 2010. Petite Pearl is a 1996 cross between MN 1094 and ES 4-7-26. During field trials it was designated as TP 2-1-24.

  Petite Pearl is very cold hardy and has survived winter temperatures down to -32°F. It is highly resistant to downy mildew, powdery mildew and black rot.

  Brix levels at harvest averaged 24°, TA 0.8 and pH 3.4, with yields of 2 to 3 tons/acre.

  Wine from Petite Pearl has a dark garnet color with complex aromas and flavors and soft mid-mouth tannins.

• Sabrevois (trial section)

  Sabrevois

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  Sabrevois is the name given to Elmer Swenson’s ES 2-1-9 in August 2001. Like St. Croix, it is a cross of E.S. 283 and E.S. 193. It was named after the village near the Richeliu River in southern Quebec where Gilles Benoit of Vignoble des Pins first made high quality wine from the variety.

  Sabrevois is very winter hardy ( to -30 F) and disease resistant, exhibiting vigourous growth and good upright growth patterns. The black berries are small to medium in size, and it produces small to medium size somewhat loose clusters. Vines of Sabrevois are vigorous, but they sometimes struggle to provide a crop equal to their vegatative vigor. This can be aided by production management using a divided trellis system. The acidity of Sabrevois tends to be higher than that of St. Croix, but very workable. The sugar content rarely exceeds 20 Brix even in very ripe fruit.

  Wines made from Sabrevois have a berry-like taste and aroma, and deep red color. Long skin contact time should be avoided. Dry red varietal sabrevois should age well and may require two years in bottle to round off the rough edges. Probably best as part of a blend with other red hybrid varieties known for higher sugars (say maybe Frontenac or Landot Noir).

• St. Croix (trial section)

  St. Croix

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  St. Croix was originally developed by Elmer Swenson in 1983. It was a cross of E.S. 283 and E.S. 193.

  Hardy to about -30 F, St. Croix is widely grown in Minnesota, Connecticut and Quebec. A vigorous grower with vinifera-like good friut and low tannin, the medium sized clusters are slightly loose. St. Croix ripens mid season and achieves 18-20 brix, with moderate acidity. This variety is susceptible to downy mildew, but resists powdery mildew and black rot. The roots are a bit less hardy, and need snow cover in very cold winters. Grafting on a superhardy rootstock may slightly enhance it’s hardiness and productivity.

  St. Croix’s fruit chemistry is good: it’s relatively easy to make good quality red wine from this grape. The juice is a pale rose and the wines can be dark in color. Lack of tannins is fairly common and needs to be corrected by blending.

• Verona

  Verona

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  Description coming soon.