Widely grown in Galacia (northwest Spain) and Portugal (where it is known as Albarino), Albariño produces distinctive, aromatic, high quality wines, one of the few Spanish white varieties used to produce a varietal wine. Grown in a humid, maritime climate, it has thick skin making it resistant to...
Chambourcin is a late ripening grape that can produce a highly rated red wine when fully mature. It requires a long growing season and at least 3000 GDD to fully mature. Vines tend to over-produce, so some cluster thinning is often necessary to produce high quality, deeply colored and aromatic wi...
Riesling is the noble grape variety of Germany, one of the most hardy vinifera varieties best suited for cooler climates and highly susceptible to Botrytis infection. Riesling is made in a wide range of wine styles depending on the climate in which it is grown, from dry to semi-sweet to late harv...
Not to be confused with cheese, Lemberger is used to produce low acid, varietal wines. It is gaining a reputation in the Finger Lakes region of NY as a variety with good wine potential and easier to grow than Pinot Noir. Lemberger (also known as Blaufränkisch) is a cold-hardy red grape suited to ...
Saperavi is a popular stand alone varietal making deep colored wines enjoyed young and aged and has been well received as a rosé as well. Originating in the the early 1950's in the Soviet Republic of Georgia, Saperavi is a Vitis vinifera grape responding much like other red vinifera as far as gro...
A component of many Bordeaux blends, Cabernet Franc matures earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and is more suitable for cooler climates. One of the more winter hardy vinifera varieties, it is becoming more popular in eastern North America where it is used to produce full-bodied red wines, and is als...
Valvin Muscat produces a highly aromatic, high quality muscat wine with improved winter hardiness and disease resistance over its vinifera parent (Muscat Ottonel). Only sold as grafted vines as own-rooted vines typically have low vine vigor.
Dornfelder is considered to be the most successful red German vinifera cross with substantial plantings in the late 20th Century. The wine is notable for its depth of color, good acidity, attractive aromatics, and ability to age well.
First release from Dr. Bruce Reisch's "no spray" grape breeding program at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, Geneva. High disease resistance and potential to produce red wines of good quality. Good resistance to powdery and downy mildew but susceptible to black rot and phomopsis...
Merlot is Bourdeaux's most planted grape variety, known for its smooth texture and outstanding varietal wines, but often blended with Cabernet Sauvignon. Earlier ripening than Cabernet Sauvignon, but not as winter hardy.
Pinot Noir is the classic red Burgundy cultivar, it ripens best under cool, dry conditions and is best suited for cool but moderate climates. Wines are lower in tannins and pigments than the other great French wine varieties, and are used for red and rosé wines, and are one component of tradition...
Pinot Gris is a lighter-skinned mutation of Pinot Noir that produces small, compact clusters of berries ranging in color from pink, to coppery-gray, to brownish-pink, even within the same cluster. Its low acidity makes this a favored variety for cooler climates with long growing seasons and is ma...
The standard of white wine grapes, Chardonnay can be used to make a wide range of wine styles from "fruit forward" wines fermented in stainless, to buttery wines fermented or finished with oak. Chardonnay is the primary variety in Burgundy and California and is one of the components of traditiona...
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 ...
Cabernet Volos (Cabernet Sauvignon x 20-3) is one in a line up of mildew resistant VCR varieties that reduce the spray requirements while producing quality fruit and wine. With a similar flavor profile to its parent- Cabernet Sauvignon, this herbaceous, thick-skinned, blue-black variety produces ...
Cabernet Sauvignon is a vigorous, variety with late bud break and late maturity. It is one of the world's most widely renowned red wine varieties, grown in nearly every major wine producing country among a diverse spectrum of climates. Cabernet Sauvignon makes a high quality wine if grapes are ha...
A component of many Bordeaux blends, Cabernet Franc matures earlier than Cabernet Sauvignon and is more suitable for cooler climates. One of the more winter hardy vinifera varieties, it is becoming more popular in eastern North America where it is used to produce full-bodied red wines, and is als...
Sauvignon Blanc is responsible for some of the world's most distinctive dry white wines with a wide range of aromatics. It produces a wide range of wine styles from dry aromatic wines to desert wines in France, to ripe fruit characteristics in California, and now the leading cultivar in New Zeala...
Sangiovese is the most planted grape variety in Italy, the principal variety for fine red wine in Tuscany, and the base wine for the production of Chianti. It is a late-ripening red that produces wines with pronounced tannins and acidity.
Petit Verdot is one of the classic black Bordeaux varieties. It is known for high quality where it can fully ripen, which is later than that of Cabernet Sauvignon.
