LaCrescent This is one of the best of the new white wine selections from U Minn. It has long slightly loose clusters and turns a beautiful golden brown color when ripe. LaCrescent produces a wine with a pronounced and delicious apricot flavor. The wine is fairly high in acid, and would be made in a Germanic style, with some residual sugar. The wine can be very good, balanced, and with good body. In the vineyard, LaCrescent is moderately susceptible to Powdery and Downy Mildew so it needs a careful spray program. It has a strongly trailing growth habit, which makes it easy to train. Hardy to at least –30F.

Louise Swenson The wine has a typical delicate aroma of flowers and honey. This wine's only fault is that it is rather light in body. Blending with a variety such as Prairie Star makes it a more complete wine. Louise Swenson rarely exceeds 20 Brix.. Acidity is moderate and needs no reduction. Observed at many sites around south-central Minnesota, this variety has shown little or no winter injury even in the most severe (-40 F) winters. It has moderate vigor on most sites. It buds out relatively late in the spring compared to other hybrid grape varieties. Disease resistance is generally very good, with some susceptibility to Anthracnose.

Swenson White The clusters of Swenson White are medium-large (90-230 ave=152g) and rather loose. Berries are large(4g), yellowish, and thick-skinned, allowing them to hang on the vine, unmolested by insects, late into the fall season. This selection ripens rather late, reaching only 20 Brix by the first of October. Acidity is moderate. White wines produced from Swenson White have been excellent, with a pronounced flowery nose and a long fruity finish. Slightly susceptible to anthracnose. With its ability to hang on the vine and its good aromatics, this selection also should be a good candidate for ice wine. Hardy to at least –30F Very disease resistant.

Prairie Star is usually harvested at 20 to 22 Brix during the third week in September. Prairie Star has long, slightly loose clusters. Berries are small-medium, averaging 2.5 g. Prairie Star is best used as a blending component to add body and finish to thinner white wines. The vine is one of the hardiest white wine varieties, suffering little damage in all but the harshest, -40 F (-40 C) winters. Prairie Star also is rather resistant to mildew diseases, with the exception of Black Rot and Anthracnose, to which it is moderately susceptible. Poor fruit set has been observed in some seasons at a few sites.

LaCrosse ripens fairly late and needs a warm summer to reach 20 Brix. Makes a good dry white wine fermented in oak with ML fermentation. Wine flavors include pear, apricot, and muscat. Hardy to –25F. Vigor and productivity is moderate.

St Pepin ripens mid- to late-September. Has female flowers so must be planted near other grapes for pollination. Can produce very good wines. Hardy to about –26F.

Frontenac Gris (pronounced “gree”) is a natural variant of Frontenac with light red/gray fruit. Frontenac. Gris makes a wine with a peach flavor and tropical fruit/grapefruit undertones. The wine color ranges from amber to light rose’. In all other respects, it is identical with Frontenac.

ES 8-2-43 is very winter hardy to at least –35F, and early ripening, by early September. Produces numerous small clusters. Excellent wine, similar to a true muscat. Small clusters slow the harvest. Promising grape for short season, cold winter areas.