Lacrescent and St Pepin

[krafty_kraut]

From what I've read, these are both Riesling style varieties. Is there one you prefer over the other as far as wine and as a vine?

 

[grapeman]

I will reply later on. Too nice to be online much-just checking in.

 

[grapeman]

In my humble opinion, these are the leading two varieties for cold climate whites. St Pepin is a pistillate variety from Elmer Swenson. It can have great body, flavors and aromas. It stands up well as a varietal . Read Ibglowins review of it a few days ago on this forum. It is one of my best selling whites. It grows very well and is fairly easy to grow. It loses the outer bark every year and you would swear it would die, but it doesn't. The grapes in my avatar are St. Pepin. If you let it hang long enough it will get to 22-23 brix and the acid about 3.2-3.4 and the TA from 9.0 -10.5 g/L.

LaCrescent is probably one of the best white wine grapes developed yet for the cold climates. Acids are typically fairly high and sometimes it can benefit from sweetening. pH 2.95-3.15 and TA 10.0-12g/L. It is very aromatic and can be used as a varietal like a Gewurtz or Traminette. Flavors are excellent and would be chosen almost every time over a Riesling. These really bring in the gold. It grows well but is a bit slower to establish than some others. It is also susceptible to disease so it does require a dedicated spray program.

 

[krafty_kraut]

The St Pepin wine from Hid-In_Pines Vineyard was the first one I wanted to try when it got here. I thought it was awesome and agreed with Ibglowins review! It pretty much sealed the deal for me putting it in my little vineyard until I saw the homepage with the LaCrescent bottle with the Gold Medal draped around it. So, I wanted to check it out as well.


I've been going for disease resistant varieties but I'm going to make an exception for these two varieties. I've contacted Double A Vineyards and they said that the NY76 will help pollinate the St Pepin. I'll have those two rows next to each other with St Pepin being west of the NY76. And I'll put another varity that blooms at the same time to the west of the St Pepin as well. Plus, LaCrescent will be in the vineyard as well.

As always, I am very thankful about the information you provide, grapeman. This is an incredible website.

 

[grapeman]

NY 76.0844.24 pollinates later than the St Pepin so isn't the best choice. Ones pollinating closer to the same date are ES6-16-30 (Norhteast VIne SUpply in Vt may be able to supply by now. I set him up a couple years ago with wood to begin his mother rows of it. LaCrosse does also and makes a good wine. Prairie Star is close and LaCrescent isn't too far off. With all the varieties you are planting, I am sure one will do the job for it. I also observed last year that it likely was able to pollinate itself as most of the blloms were complete flowers.

 

[krafty_kraut]

That E.S.6-16-30 sounds like a nice wine too.

White wine. Hardy to -31 F with secondary and tertiary buds surviving colder temperatures and producing a crop. This selection ripens to very good chemistry for wine with around 21 Brix and 1% acidity. Very Disease resistant. Wine has very good body with a light floral nose similar to a French muscadet. A bit astringent in the finish. Possibly best suited to coastal or cold climate sites. Sparkling wine potential. Selected by Elmer Swenson.

How is one person responsible for so many different varieties...it's amazing.

 

[grapeman]

That E.S.6-16-30 sounds like a nice wine too.

Selected by Elmer Swenson.

How is one person responsible for so many different varieties...it's amazing.

That is why he is considered the Father of Cold Hardy Grapes. He had many other unselected varieties that had potential, but he passed a way a number of years ago after working into his 90's.