Cold Climate Growing
- Our grape varieties can withstand up to 35 degrees below 0 Fahrenheit! This makes them perfect for Ice Wine.
- Grape Varieties
Frontenac – an interspecific hybrid grapevine that is a result of research and cross-breeding very cold hardy selections by the University of Minnesota. It was released in
1996. Frontenac has been used for the production of dry red wines, rose, and Vermont Ice Red wine. The wines produced from Frontenac typically present aromas of cherry and other red fruits with high tannin and acidity.
La Crescent – another Minnesota hybrid. La Crescent has very high levels of natural sugars and acidity, and therefore lends itself to be finished as an off-dry or semi-sweet wine.
Frontenac Blanc – a white berry grape mutation of the Frontenac grape. Nice sweetness and winter hardy can produce wonderful ice wines and fruity table wines.
Marquette – a newer grape hybrid – winter hardy with complex cherry and pepper notes – high in tannin. - All of the fruits used in our wines and ciders are harvested by hand.
- Our Vermont Ice grape wines are allowed to freeze on the vine a traditional ice wine fashion, harvested frozen. The grapes we use for ice wine making are very winter hardy varieties that are able to stay on the vine and complete ripening even in temperatures below freezing. Our harvest takes place when the grapes are frozen with temperatures in the mid to low 20’s. By the time harvest takes place many of the grapes are gone. However, the grapes that are left are very ripe, many with botrytis. We start pressing at 46 brix, the density of the must, and stop at 38 brix. Most Ice Wines press at only 35 brix.
