winemaking questions...

1. Cold hardy only, forget vinifera (classic wine grapes). swenson varieties
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1. Quality grapes = quality wine. Winemakers can craft substandard grapes into adequate wine, but only top grapes produce top wines.

2. Figure 3 years from plant to first true harvest. And FYI as an approximation 1 vine = 1 gallon wine.

I would suggest you contact your nearest Ag department for the best grapes for your area. It may even be specific to the side of the hill they are grown on and they may be able to help you there.

Normal yield is 15-16 lbs per gal for white and 12-13 lbs per gal for red.

I will let others comment on the rest of your questions.

Ray

Frontenac is a hybrid developed at the University of Minnesota. It's supposedly cold-hardy down to minus 40 degrees. Properly cultivated, it bears heavily, and makes *very* good wine.

Go for it!!

Minus 40??? Those are Alaska temps.. Someone made a grape that will grow here? Does it require a long growing season and can it survive with mucho daylight (up to 22 hours of a 24 hour period)????

Later, A. J. Rawls Anchorage, Alaska, USA

Hi....from what I've been told Frontenac has very high acid levels if you dont let them hang long enough......once fully ripe they need another week or so for the acid to "drop" then the levels are more acceptable ....that is if you're growning season is long enough........myself I figure if one is not that concerned about adding acid reducing additives they may be worth growing....they can't have acid levels much higher than what I grow here in eastern Canada now....valiants and minnesota78's......Andy J.,Fredericton ,N.B.,Canada.....

Scott B.wrote "The house is in southern Wisconsin. 1. what types of grapes would grow

Scott - Look at this site

There are a lot of wine grape descriptions here and information about cold hardiness. Interestingly Vignoles is said to be "very cold hardy". If you can grow this grape you will be able to make a very good white wine. All of the suggestions have been good and you could seek out a local commercial operation growing grapes. See what they grow.

Bill Frazier Olathe, Kansas USA

RAVAT (VIGNOLES): Has synonym name Ravat 51. Variety widely grown in the cooler regions of the northeast American continent, including Canada, and middle band of states of the USA. This very cold-hardy, late budding, french-american hybrid small-cluster grape ripens in late September. Prone to bunchrot in humid regions. Requires grafting to good vigor rootstock for fruit-bud development. Due to high acid content, is recommended for making white dry, late-harvest and ice-wines. Reported to have Pinot de Corton and Subereux french-american hybrids as direct parents. Currently very popular as a high quality dessert wine because of its restrained fruitiness, high acid and good balance.

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Where in southern Wisconsin? I live in Germantown north of Milwaukee. Did you know there's a vineyard in Prairie du Sac Wisconsin (north of Madison) called the Wollersheim Winery. I believe they grow a French-American hybrid called a Marechal Foch. They have an internet site. Darlene

You might want to look into Marechal Foch and Leon Millot. Wollersheim Winery near Madison grows a lot of Foch and Millot and generally it does well there if you have a decent mesoclimate. I've had wine made from Foch (Wollersheim) and I've had wine made from Frontenac. In my opinion, the Foch was much, much better. While the winemaking is also a factor, there are some odd flavors in the Frontenac I just don't like. As others mentioned, there is some serious deacidification you will have to do with Frontenac also.

Get your hands on a couple books: "Growing Grapes in Minnesota" by the Minnesota Grape Growers Association, and "Northern Winework-Growing Grapes and Making Wine in Cold Climates", by Tom Plocher and Bob Parke.

BTW, I had looked into doing something similar when I lived in Pewaukee, but then lucked out and moved to the Finger Lakes of NY (lucked out in some ways, got screwed in other ways-like taxes).

Good luck.