Grant Amount - SCRI Grant for $5.1 million in 2011; renewed in 2014 over 5 years
This project, “Northern Grapes: Integrating Viticulture, Winemaking and Marketing of New Cold-Hardy Cultivars,” brought together 34 researchers from 12 institutions to address varietal performance and resulting fruit and wine flavor attributes in the cold climates of the northern tier of the United States. Focusing on field trials for Frontenac and Marquette cold climate varieties, the project helped growers to apply appropriate viticultural practices to achieve consistent fruit characteristics for ripening, and helped winemakers address their unique fruit composition to produce distinctive wines that consumers will like and purchase. The project also explored consumer preferences, developing individual/regional marketing strategies to increase sales and sustained profitability of wineries and vineyards in the northern tier, including Minnesota, Michigan, Wisconsin, and North and South Dakota.
Northern Grapes Project News
The 2016 Northern Grapes Symposium was hosted by the Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Conference in Kalamazoo, Michigan. Nine Northern Grapes Project team members lead six sessions, encompassing all four of the projects’ objectives. Additional information and links to the presentations may be found here.