POST TOWN WINERY

Information on Grape Varieties!

Frontenac – Approximately 1 acre – Planted in 2003 – Approximately 500 mature healthy vines

Prairie Star – Approximately 1 acre– Planted in 2003 – Approximately 500 mature healthy vines

LaCrescent – Approximately 1 acre – Planted 2006 – Around 300 vines. LaCrescent has proven to be a challenge and they have died back down to the ground 2-3 times in the last 10 years. They look about like 2nd year growth right now but have very large established roots.

Frontenac Gris – Approximately ¾ acre – Planted 2010 – Around 250 mature healthy vines.

Originally the vineyard included Sabrevois ES 2-1-9 but they were removed and replaced with Front Gris due to issues with winter hardiness.

In the past, we have also purchased Marquette, Marechal Foch, and La Crosse grapes from local growers in order to produce the variety of wines that we offer.

Everything in Minnesota is planted on its own rootstock. I’ve never heard of anyone grafting in the upper Midwest. Grafting is used in areas where Phylloxera is a problem. The French wine blight of the 1800s was resolved by grafting European grape varieties (vitus vinifera) to American rootstock.

Whoever buys the vineyard will have to develop their own spray/chemical use program. We were always minimalists when it came to spraying and that’s exactly one of the things that the new owners will have to do better. The most attractive, highest producing vineyards also spray the hell out of their grapes. We only sprayed to address specific issues where preventative spraying would have produced much higher yields. I don’t have any formal records of chemical or pesticide spray use.

PRAIRIE STAR GRAPES Prairie Star

-40F

F - An Also known by the synonym name ES 3-24-7. Is a cross between ES 2-7-13 and ES 2-8-1. Developed by Elmer Swenson in 1980 and released around 1994. Harsh-cold (to -40 deg. F) tolerant, this variety is quite disease resistant other than a susceptibility to easily controllable Anthracnose. Reported as capable of making a neutral varietal wine in most years it is currently used to add body and finish to such other white wines as Louise Swenson.

Seller/Owner’s information: Prairie Star ES 3-24-7

This is a mid-season white wine grape from Elmer Swenson. It is usually harvested at 20 to 22 Brix during the third week in September in the Rochester area. Prairie Star has long, slightly loose clusters that, on heavy soils or on grafted vines, can average 177 g (range 120-240 g). On lighter or less fertile soils, cluster size will be closer to the lower end of this range and production will be less. Berries are small-medium, averaging 2.5 g. The fruit matures to excellent sugar and acidity for white winemaking. The typical wine from Prairie Star is neutral, but not foxy. It has a fullness in the mouth and finish that is uncommon among our hybrid grape varieties. In some years, wines from Prairie Star develop a delicate floral nose that allows them to stand as single variety wines. In most years, however, Prairie Star is best used as a blending component to add body and finish to thinner white wines. The vine is one of the hardiest white wine varieties, suffering little damage in all but the harshest, -40 F (-40 C) winters. At some Minnesota vineyards, it has survived even these conditions with little injury. Prairie Star also is rather resistant to mildew diseases, with the exception of Black Rot and Anthracnose, to which it is moderately susceptible. Poor fruit set has been observed in some seasons at a few sites.

Prairie Star (White)

Row Spacing: 8’ between vines / 10’ between rows

Training: Vertical Shoot Positioning

Matures: 3rd week of September

Other notes: Blend with Louise Swenson

******************************************************************* Frontenac Grapes:

Frontenac, Continued: Seller/Owner’s Information: Frontenac:

Introduced in 1995, Frontenac is the first in a series of new wine grape varieties developed by the University of Minnesota for Upper Midwest conditions. A cross of V. riparia 89 with the French hybrid Landot 4511, Frontenac combines many of the best characteristics of each parent. Frontenac is a very cold hardy vine and has borne a full crop after temperatures as low as -30 F. It is also a very disease resistant variety with good resistance to powdery mildew and near-immunity to downy. Frontenac's small black berries are produced on medium to large clusters that are usually slightly loose. As a result, berry splitting and bunch rot have been rare, even in wet years. Frontenac has been a consistently heavy producer and sometimes requires cluster thinning. Frontenac is a vigorous variety and usually becomes established very quickly. Typical spacing on fertile soils would be about 8' between vines. Best results to date have been obtained training Frontenac to an upper cordon system with canes. Frontenac produces only a moderate number of tendrils, which facilitates vine management. In Minnesota, Frontenac is ready for harvest the first weekend before it freezes. Fortunately, the pH does not often rise to dangerous levels. Frontenac is a good sugar producer with 24-25 brix not uncommon. Frontenac wine typically has a pleasant cherry aroma with berry and plum evident in many cases. The herbaceousness of its wild riparia background is almost entirely absent. The color is usually a garnet red, but can become excessively dark with long periods of skin time. Malolactic fermentation is essential to reduce the wine's high acidity. Tannin levels are usually relatively low.

Frontenac (Red)

Row Spacing: 8’ between vines / 10’ between rows

Training: Vertical Shoot Positioning

Matures: Late Midseason

Other notes: Needs Malatic fermentation

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La Crescent: A Winemaker’s Grape “The first time I had a glass of wine made from La Crescent, I was completely blown away.

Reminiscent of an aromatic white that might come from Germany or Austria, my mind started spinning with all the potential this grape has for winemakers in Minnesota. The high acidity makes it relatively versatile for various winemaking styles from dry to sweet or even fortified dessert wines, while the tropical fruit and floral aroma make it an easy sell to consumers.”

“A quick primer on cold climate grapes: For the most part, they tend to have a more fruit-forward flavor profile, higher levels of acidity and, for reds, a smaller amount of noticeable tannin than European grape varieties. This is extremely beneficial for white grapes like La Crescent, the paragon of cold-climate breeding. “It’s an extremely cold-hardy grape,” says Peter Hemstad, U of M Horticultural Scientist, owner of St. Croix Vineyards in Stillwater, and original breeder of the grape. “If one were to graph the 100 top grape varieties for quality vs. cold hardiness, La Crescent would be the outlier — the greatest combination of both.”

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. The aromatic structure of the grape is delightful — apricot is most noticeable in the field. Tangerine, lime, and other citrus are common flavors in the finished wine, while tropical fruits like pineapple and even herbal notes sometimes enter the fold. It’s fruity and crisp while not being overwhelming. “The fact that it is very aromatic and often sweet makes it a wine that’s easy for people to drink,” says Katie Cook, U of M Enology Project Leader. “It works well for those who don’t consider themselves wine drinkers, as well as those who appreciate a good sweet white wine paired with dessert.” La Crescent’s acidity, flavors, and stylistic profile draw striking comparisons to Riesling (and you’ll often find it in the same skinny, Mosel-style bottle).

La Crescent is gaining traction all over the Northern US, with great examples coming from Wisconsin, Michigan, and Vermont, among others. Hemstad is even in the process of introducing the grape overseas, most recently in China. “Wine snobs can’t look down their noses at [La Crescent],” he says. “They can’t say it’s a poor quality wine. If it’s properly grown and made, it’s irrefutably good. It really reflects the potential that Minnesota wine grapes have.”

Seller/Owner’s Information:

La Crescent is another white Swenson variety. The grape has the synonym name MN 1166 and is the result of a St. Pepin x Swenson 6-8-25 (i.e. unknown V.riparia x Muscat Hamburg) 1988 patented cross-selected in 1992. Described as making a germanic character wine reminiscent of Vignoles or Riesling that has received very favorable reviews in a sweet version. Winter hardy with trunks surviving temperatures of -36 deg. F. (approx -38 C). Ripens for harvest around late September in Minnesota. Has low to moderate disease resistance. Berry splitting or Botrytis has not been observed even under wet conditions.

La Crescent (White)

Row Spacing: 8’ between vines / 10’ between rows

Training: Mid cordon

Matures: Late September

Other notes: Has been susceptible to disease

**************************************************************** FRONTENAC GRIS GRAPES: Frontenac Gris is a pink-berried mutation of Frontenac, the cold-hardy hybrid variety bred at the University of Minnesota's horticultural research center. The University describes the variety as "the white wine version of Frontenac … yielding gray fruit and amber-colored juice". The variety’s history can be traced back to a single cane on a single Frontenac plant, which began bearing pink-skinned berries instead of black. Such pink-berried mutations are not uncommon in the grape world; other well-known examples include Pinot Gris and Gewurztraminer. The new cultivar was successfully propagated from cuttings, and commercially released as Frontenac Gris in 2003. It is now cultivated for winemaking in several US states, notably Minnesota and Vermont. Like Frontenac, Frontenac Gris has strong disease-resistance and is very cold-hardy – essential for surviving the cold, harsh winters experienced in the northern United States (temperatures in Minnesota frequently drop as low as -30F). This, combined with its high yields, makes it a commercially attractive prospect for winegrowers. The variety produces conical, relatively loose clusters of medium size. The berries are capable of achieving elevated sugar levels, which are fortunately balanced by high acidity. Frontenac Gris wines are typically at their best when bottled with a enough residual sugar to maintain a balance between alcohol, acidity and sweetness. Due to the pigmentation of their skins, Frontenac Gris grapes make wines with a subtle peach-pink color. Despite the appearance of Vitis labrusca in the Frontenac Gris' complex genetic heritage, the University of Minnesota reports it to be free of the foxy aromas often associated with labrusca varieties. The dominant aromas of the wines are those of citrus and tropical fruits, which, combined with its balance of sugars and acids, makes it suitable for the production of both sweet and dry wine styles. Frontenac Gris is not the only Frontenac mutation; the most recent addition to the family is Frontenac Blanc, a mutation first observed in Quebec. Food matches for Frontenac Gris include: Chicken and spinach salad with lemon dressing Maine lobster rolls Wasabi chicken salad

Seller/Owner’s Information: Frontenac Gris:

Hybrid of Frontenac introduced in 2003. Same characteristics as Frontenac except the grape is grayish and produces a light colored peach flavored wine.