Wine Grapes for Northern Climates

Wine Grapes for Northern Climates

​Most grapes that grow well in northern climates (for this blog I consider zones 3-5 to be northern) are not always known for their wine, particularly dry red wines. However, in recent years several grape varieties have been developed, mostly through the University of Minnesota, that can make very nice, dry to semi-sweet wines.

Most table grapes grown by homeowners in the United States are cultivars of the native Vitis labrusca grape also known as the fox grape. These grapes include Concord, Niagara, Edelweiss, Bluebell, and Valiant. These grapes are generally used for juice or jelly but can also be used to make sweeter wines. However, the Labrusca grapes develop strong “foxy” flavors when grown to high Brix levels (22°-24°), used for winemaking. For those unfamiliar with winemaking terminology, Brix is simply percent sugar. If you ferment to dryness, the higher the starting sugar content, the higher the alcohol of your wine. American grapes are usually harvested at a lower, 14°-16° Brix, to avoid these off flavors. Additional sugar can be added to increase the alcohol content to a more typical 11-15% found in most wines.

​When most people think of wine, such as California wines, they generally think of the Vitis vinifera grape varieties, native to Europe, the Mediterranean, and parts of Asia. These grape varieties make some of the best, classic dry to semi-sweet wines including Chardonnay, Pinot Grigio, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Pinot Noir, Zinfandel, and Shiraz. Most of these grapes, except Riesling (zone 6), are hardy to zone 7, eliminating them from my zone 4 location in Central Wisconsin.

Table Grapes

​Table grapes are usually eaten fresh or made into jelly or juice. I highly recommend investing in a steam juicer to make juice. It uses steam to extract the juice, which can be canned or made into jelly. The juice is concentrated and not diluted by water like other extraction methods. Some table grapes can also be used to make wine, although they are usually produced with some residual sweetness. These grapes tend to make wine with a “grapey” flavor, similar to drinking alcoholic grape juice.

Edelweiss and Niagara

Edelweiss is a white table grape developed by Elmer Swenson and the University of Minnesota. It is hardy to zone 4 and we have had good luck growing this grape variety in central Wisconsin. It is more disease-resistant than our wine grapes and thrives. It is similar to the Niagara grape, but Niagara is hardy to zone 5 and was not a good choice for our area. Like other American “fox” grapes, Edelweiss is usually picked earlier (14°-16° Brix) for wine to avoid off flavors and is generally finished sweet. We made our first Edelweiss wine dry, which I usually prefer, but I believe this wine would do better with just a touch of residual sweetness. The wine is light and fruity and has a definite “grapey” flavor. Edelweiss and Niagara are also great table grapes for eating fresh or making juice or jelly.

Edelweiss grape harvest, fall 2023, from 2 vines.

Swenson Red

​Swenson Red is a red table grape developed by Elmer Swenson while at the University of Minnesota and released in 1978. It is hardy to zone 4. This variety can be used to make a white wine as fermentation with the skins is not recommended, but I have heard some make a Rosé wine by fermenting for a short time with the skins on.

St. Pepin

​St. Pepin is a table grape developed by Elmer Swenson, released in 1983, that can also be used to make white wines. It is hardy to zone 4. It is a lower-acid grape so it could be blended with higher-acid grape wines to balance the acidity. It is often used for German-type wines and ice wines.

Table Grapes for Red Wines

Bluebell, Concord, and Valiant

We grow Bluebell, Concord, and Valiant grapes, which are blue/black grape varieties. We mostly grow them to eat fresh and make them into juice and jelly but they can also be made into wine. Bluebell grapes, developed by the University of Minnesota in 1944, are similar to the classic Concord, released almost 100 years earlier in 1848. Valiant grapes were bred by South Dakota State University and released in 1982. Bluebell and Valiant grapes are hardy to zone 3 rather than zone 4 for Concord. Bluebell and Valiant grapes also ripen a little earlier in the growing season, generally by a week or two. These grape varieties are often used for juice and jelly, but you can also use them to make wine, usually sweeter, and harvested earlier to avoid “foxy” flavors. We have yet to try making these varieties into wine, but I have tasted some delicious Concord grape wines.

Concord grape harvest, fall 2023, from 2 vines.

St. Croix

​St. Croix is a blue/black table grape also used to make red wine. It is very cold hardy, to Zone 3, and was released by Elmer Swenson in 1983. It tends to make a light wine due to its low sugar content and low tannin levels, so it is often used for blending, although it can make a nice light wine on its own.

Wine Grapes

There are limited grape varieties bred specifically for wine-making that also grow in cold climates. We currently grow Marquette and Itasca as we prefer dry wines, but I have included a description of many of the wine grapes available to grow in Northern Climates. Most of the more recently released varieties were developed by the University of Minnesota but several older releases were developed by Elmer Swenson, well known for his northern grape varieties.

Red Wine Grapes for Northern Climates

Frontenac

​Frontenac (aka Frontenac noir) was one of the first varieties of grapes that made a dry red wine in Northern climates (zone 3-4, and higher). However, it tends to have high acidity which must be addressed when making wine. It was released in 1996 by the University of Minnesota. We opted to plant Marquette grapes instead of Frontenac, purely due to the lower acidity levels (although still high) found in Marquette.

Marquette

​The Marquette grape is a blue/black wine grape variety used to make dry red wines. It is similar to Frontenac but tends to have lower acidity, although it can still be a touch high for wine, so we used a yeast that reduces acidity along with malolactic fermentation. It can mature with high sugar levels (22°-25° Brix) used to make wine yielding 13-15% alcohol by volume. It was developed in 2006 by the University of Minnesota and is hardy to zone 3. The biggest problem we have had with our Marquette grapes is a fungal disease, anthracnose, which requires close attention to spraying to reduce disease. Marquette can also have a fairly early bud break which can make it susceptible to late frosts.

A bunch of our Marquette grapes, harvested fall 2023. We ended up with approximately 6 gallons of must and 5 gallons of finished wine.

Petit Pearl

Petit Pearl, released by Tom Plocher of Plocher-Vines LLC in Hugo, MN, in 2009, is another option for a red wine grape. It is hardy to Zone 5 and some parts of zone 4. It is less acidic than Frontenac but is not as cold-hardy. It is also harvested about a week or two after Marquette due to its later bud break, which makes it less likely to get injured by a late spring frost. 

White Wine Grapes for Northern Climates

Itasca

​Itasca is one of the first grape varieties, hardy to Zone 3, to be developed to make a dry white wine. It was released in 2017 by the University of Minnesota. We have just planted these vines (spring of 2024) but according to reports, it is a disease-resistant, lower-acid grape (this is generally a good thing in Northern climates) that can develop high sugar levels.

Clarion

​Clarion is a white grape released by the University of Minnesota, in 2022. Clarion may be hardy to Zone 4 but is better as a Zone 5 or higher grape. This grape is supposed to make nice dry white wines but due to its recent release has yet to hit the commercial market.

Frontenac Gris and Frontenac Blanc

Both Frontenac Gris (2003) and Blanc (2012) are derived from the Frontenac Noir grape. Both were developed by the University of Minnesota and are used to make white wines. Frontenac Blanc is a white grape that can be harvested earlier than Frontenac Gris and is hardy to Zone 4 and parts of zone 3. Frontenac Gris is more of a pink/gray-skinned grape that can be prone to high acidity but with similar hardiness as Frontenac Blanc.

La Crescent

​La Crescent is a white wine grape typically used to make off-dry to sweet wines, released in 2002. It was developed by the University of Minnesota but has some Elmer Swenson grapes in its parentage. It is hardy to Zone 3.

Alpenglow

​Alpenglow is a light red grape used to make white wine. This variety was developed by Elmer Swenson and is hardy to zone 4. The grapes make a low-acid, low-sugar wine so they are generally used only for blending with high-acid wines to balance them out.

Brianna

Brianna is another Elmer Swenson variety that can be grown in zones 3-5. It is a white wine grape generally used to make semi-sweet wines.

LaCrosse

LaCrosse was developed by Elmer Swenson as a white wine grape. It is used to make dry to semi-dry fruity wines. It is often lower in sugar (19°-21° Brix) making the wines higher in acid and lower in alcohol. It is hardy to zone 4.

Conclusions

If you do not want the hassle of growing your own wine grapes or wish to try a specific wine before investing in vines, you can buy the wine itself or the grape juice to practice making your own wine. AA vineyards recently started selling juice from many of the vines they sell, including some juice from northern grapes that is typically harder to find from mainstream wine kit companies.

References

1. University of Minnesota. Grape Breeding and Enology. https://enology.umn.edu/
2. Double A Vineyards. https://doubleavineyards.com/
3. Brenneman, Chik. LaCrosse or La Crosse? True diversity in a grape. https://winemakermag.com/article/lacrosse-or-la-crosse-true-diversity-in-a-grape
4. Grapebreeders: Elmer Swenson’s Page. http://www.winemanager.com/slarsen/Grapebreeders/ES_parent.htm
5. Klodd, A. and Plocher, T. University of Minnesota Extension. Petite Pearl. https://enology.umn.edu/sites/enology.umn.edu/files/2023-03/petite_pearl_fact_sheet.pdf