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Chardonel is a productive, late-ripening white wine grape with improved winter hardiness over its Chardonnay parent. Can produce an excellent white wine when fruit is mature. Like Chardonnay, wines can be fermented and aged in stainless steel to produce fruit forward wines, or they can be barrel fermented.
Chardonel is a productive, late-ripening white wine grape with improved winter hardiness over its Chardonnay parent. Can produce an excellent white wine when fruit is mature. Like Chardonnay, wines can be fermented and aged in stainless steel to produce fruit forward wines, or they can be barrel fermented.
Disease Susceptibility
Disease Susceptibility
Black Rot
Moderately susceptible
Downy Mildew
Moderately susceptible
Powdery Mildew
Highly susceptible
Botrytis
Moderately susceptible
More Information
More Information
Grape Color
White
Primary Use
Wine
Wine Color
White
Variety Origin
Cornell University
Parents
Seyval x Chardonnay
Pseudonym (Tested As)
NY 45010 and GW9
Year Released
1991
Harvest Season
Late Season
USDA Hardiness Zone
5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12
Black Rot
Moderately susceptible
Downy Mildew
Moderately susceptible
Powdery Mildew
Highly susceptible
Botrytis
Moderately susceptible
Sulfur Sensitivity
Not susceptible
Vine Vigor
Medium Vigor
Growth Habit
Semi-Upright
Suggested Distance Between Vines
6 ft, 7 ft, 8 ft
Vine Training System
Mid Wire Cordon
Bud Break
5-7 Days after Concord
Training System
Mid Wire Cordon (MWC)
Mid-wire Cordon (MWC) training is used where neither Top Wire Cordon
(TWC) nor Vertical Shoot Positioned (VSP) training is appropriate for
the cultivator being grown. Examples include cultivators with upright
shoot growth that do not require maximum sunlight exposure of the
fruiting zone (i.e., cultivators that have relatively disease-resistant
fruit that does not benefit from increased exposure to sunlight), and
also cultivators with weak trunk growth due to inherent lack of vigor or
susceptibility to winter injury. MWC training may be appropriate where
training to TWC is difficult due to the difficulty in establishing
permanent trunks, and where economics do not justify increased labor
inputs associated with VSP training. MWC training employs a fruiting
wire at 36-48”, with (generally) one set of catch wires at least 10”
above the fruiting wire.
At planting, one or two buds are retained near the graft
union on grafted vines, or near the crown of the vine on
own-rooted vines. Support is provided with a bamboo stake or
other support. For grafted vines, the graft union should be
planted above the ground so the scion variety does not
produce roots. Where winter graft union protection is needed
in order to prevent winter injury, it is critical that the
graft union be planted close to the ground (1-2” above final
ground level), with graft unions covered with soil or other
insulating material during the winter months.
One cane is retained from the previous year’s growth. This
can be pruned and tied to the bottom wire, or a longer cane
can be trained up to or on top (fruiting) wire if first
years growth was vigorous. A second trunk can be started by
leaving a short spur at the base of the vine, just above the
graft union on grafted vines, or just above ground level on
own-rooted vines. In Year Two, crop should be limited by
cluster thinning or defruiting in order to encourage
vegetative growth.
A single cane or cordon can be pruned and trained in each
direction from the head of the vine. Spurs on cordons should
be located about size inches apart. Highly fruitful
cultivators such as French-American hybrids can be pruned to
two to three bud spurs, while less fruitful cultivators can
be pruned to three to five bud spurs. Where possible, shots
emerging from cane growth below the fruiting wire should be
removed to avoid overcrowding and shading at the head of the
vine. During the growing season, shoots are allowed to grow
through the sets of catch wires, and additional shoot
positioning can be attained by manually tucking shoots
between the sets of catch wires, and additional shoot
positioning can be attained by manually tucking shoots
between the sets of catch wires. Shoots that emerge through
the top set of catch wires are allowed to grow downward,
generally without using any summer pruning. Third year vines
should yield between one-half and a full crop, depending on
the amount of trellis fill achieved. Vines that achieve full
trellis fill can be fully cropped (as appropriate for the
variety and desired wine quality attributes), while weaker
vines may require some fruit removal by cluster thinning so
that vines are not over-cropped.
Cordons should be fully established and annual growth should
fill the available trellis space. Depending on the variety,
wine quality may be improved by reducing crop load, usually
by removing second and/or third clusters on developing
shoots. In regions where winter injury to trunks is
anticipated, new trunks can be trained by retaining one or
more suckers annually, and used to replace older,
winter-injured trunks.