This page is an integral part of a report prepared by Tom Plocher and Bob Parke, authors of Northern Winework, an upcoming book on growing grapes in cold climates. The grape varieties below were tasted and evaluated by Tom and Bob in 1998 for their suitability as wine grapes for very cold climates. To return to the first page of the report, visit this page. Click on the book cover for a larger view (large file)...
Criteria for Evaluating Grape Varieties
At each site visited, grape selections and varieties were evaluated for ripeness and suitability for winemaking, as well as condition of the fruit (berry set and mildew). The following criteria for ripeness were used:
Sugar content as degrees Brix (average of six berries)--fruits sufficiently ripe for making white wine typically have sugar content of greater than 18 Brix and for red wine greater than 20 Brix.
Seed color--mature berries have seeds that are tan to brown in color
Berry texture--ripe berries are relatively soft and yield to pressure
Flavor development--fruity, varietal flavors develop as fruit approaches full maturity
Sugar/acid balance--ripe fruit, suitable for winemaking, have sugar and acid in balanced proportions
Comparison to American varieties--Most of the sites visited had plantings of "early-ripening" American grape varieties. Often, we were able to directly compare the ripeness of Baltic and American varieties growing side-by -side. The American varieties typically included Beta, St. Croix, Joffre, and Foch. All of these varieties, normally considered early ripening by northern United States standards, were still green or barely colored during the period of our visits, and also suffered from poor fruit set under Baltic conditions. The ripe grape varieties of Baltic and Russian origins that we observed were literally weeks or even a month-plus ahead of these northern American standards.
Riga, Latvia 600 DDC
Minsk, Belarus 882 DDC
Pinsk, Belarus 680 DDC
Rapina, Estonia 660 DDC
Copenhagen, Denmark 827 DDC
The 1998 growing season was characterized by greater than normal rainfall in all five of these areas. In terms of heat accumulation, Minsk, Pinsk, and Copenhagen all were slightly colder than normal. Rapina was the only area that actually experienced a significantly warmer than normal summer. The Vidzeme vineyard site of Andrash Fazekash, located some 150km inland from Riga, was exceptionally cool this summer, with phenological indications of vine growth lagging Riga by two weeks. In assessing the ability of various varieties to ripen fruit, we considered these weather variations from the normal.
While it may not have commercial potential due to its small cluster, Vidzeme Skaistule should be of great interest to breeders whose goal is a variety that ripens under extremely cool, wet conditions. Also, even though it is the earliest to ripen in Fazekash's vineyard, it is not the first to push buds in the spring. Vidzeme Skaistule pushes buds about 4 days after Vitis riparia under Latvian conditions. It is reported to be fully hardy to at least -35C in Vidzeme.
Jubilinaja Novgoroda produces a typical cluster of about 120 grams, with good set under cool wet conditions and good Botrytis resistance, i.e. it has commercial potential as variety, as well as high interest for breeding. The first experimental wine from Jubilinaja Novgoroda was produced this fall in Latvia. The variety is grown without winter protection in Minsk, Pinsk, and Rapina.
The berries of Suvinta are small and the cluster is small to medium in size, and normally, tight and winged. However, this year, the fruit set in Suvinta was somewhat bothered by the extraordinarily wet conditions in Latvia and the clusters were a bit raggy. Suvinta is an extremely early ripening variety that has good potential as breeding material, and also may be useful as a variety in itself. Suvinta is grown with winter protection in Latvia.
The vines we observed were extremely productive and had set well in
poor weather this year. We believe that this variety has commercial potential for Baltic countries, as well as for certain cool season areas of the U.S., such as Maine, the Lake Superior Shore, and Puget Sound. A test lot of wine from Skujins 675 was produced in Latvia this fall. The vines of Skujins 675 are quite winter hardy and are grown without winter protection throughout the Baltics and Belarus.
The berries of Varajane Sinine are small and the cluster small to medium (about 100 grams) and tight. This variety has some commercial potential as an extra early ripening variety and is certainly of interest for breeding purposes. The first wine from Varajane Sinine was produced this fall in Latvia under our direction with fruit grown by Prof. Kivistik in Rapina. Varajane Sinine is grown without winter protection in Rapina, so it is potentially of sufficient hardiness to grow unprotected in some of the colder regions of the U.S. such as Minnesota and Wisconsin.
Berries of Zilga are small (1.7g), blue with sky-blue shading. Clusters are small- medium in size, on average around 90 grams, tightly formed and winged. The vine is very vigorous and productive, setting fruit very well even during this cool wet Latvian summer. The Latvian growers are eagerly working to explore Zilga's wine potential. Test lots were produced in two different styles this fall in Latvia. Among all Sukatnieks selections, `Zilga' is the most hardy, having survived winters of to -40C in Belarus. Its productivity and extreme cold hardiness suggest that Zilga may have some commercial potential in the Baltics, Belarus, and the cold winter regions of the U.S.
Vidzeme Skaistule
A selection by Andrash Fazekash, a grape breeder working in the eastern Latvian province of Vidzeme. Vidzeme Skaistule is probably the earliest ripening grape variety observed on the trip. This year, Fazekash's site was extremely cool and wet, with grapevine growth lagging behind vines in Riga by nearly two weeks. So it is significant that on 29 August at Fazekash's vineyard near the village of Madonas, a sample of berries of this lavender colored grape measured 16-18 Brix and had already developed a fruity, almost Gewurtztraminer-like flavor, with no foxiness. The fruit and vine were in perfect condition despite the wet conditions of this season. Skaistule has a rather small tight cluster of small berries that had set well in the cold wet bloom season this year.
Jubilinaja Novgoroda
This variety was developed at the Central Genetic Laboratory in Michurinsk, Russia. We observed Jubilinaja Novgoroda on 8/31 in Minsk, on 9/3 in Pinsk in Belarus and at Rapina, Estonia on 9/9. At all three vineyard sites, sugar content consistently ranged from 18.5 to 22 Brix, with well-developed flavors that can be described as "pineapple" or "tropical fruit". It was one of the few varieties that showed full maturity under Baltic and Belarusian conditions.
Muscat Melnika
This is a blue-skinned muscat variety developed at the Central Genetic Laboratory in Michurinsk, Russia. Observed on 9/1 in Minsk, Muscat Melnika had a sugar content around 19 Brix, with muscat flavor just barely detectable. Seeds were white, indicating that the berries were still maturing. Unfortunately, we were not able to sample it again in mid-September, when the muscat flavor was more developed. This is an interesting variety for its ability to mature very early and its potential to produce a white muscat-flavored wine. Small to medium berries on a slightly loose, medium-sized cluster. Good fruit set despite the poor weather this year in Minsk. Grown with straw winter protection in Minsk.
Suvinta
Lithuanian breeder, Roberts Galaitis, developed this red-skinned variety. We observed Suvinta growing in the vineyard of Evalds Pupols, in the southern Latvian province of Latgale, near the Lithuanian border. The sugar content of the berries sampled averaged 20.5 Brix, and ranged up to 23 Brix. Berries had well-developed fruit flavors, with no foxiness. In other words, the fruit was very well ripened by this date for winemaking.
Skujins 675
Skujins was a Latvian grape breeder who worked at the Tymiryazev Academy of Agriculture (TCXA) in Moscow. In Russia this selection has been named "Moskovsky Ustojchivy". The Latvians prefer to call it Skujins 675. This variety is one of the earliest ripening and most promising of the varieties evaluated for white wine potential. Sugar content in a sample of berries measured 18.5 Brix on 9/3 in Pinsk, with a nice balance of sugar and acids, and pronounced fruit flavors, with no foxiness. On 9/13, a large sample of Skujins 675 berries were collected from a vineyard near Riga and crushed to use as a yeast starter. Sugar content of the sample measured 20 Brix. The pH of the juice measured 3.3. These numbers reflect nearly perfect ripening for white wine production. This sample also had the characteristic pronounced fruity aromas and flavors. The berries of Skujins are small-medium in size and the moderately loose range from 90-120 grams.
Agra
Working on a collective farm in the southeastern province of Latgale, Latvian grape breeder, Pauls Sukatnieks produced several extremely early ripening grape varieties, including this white selection, Agra. Observed in Minsk on 8/31, a berry sample from Agra measured 17-17.5 Brix, with well-developed fruit flavors and no foxiness. Seeds already were tan in color. Observed later in that week at Pinsk (9/5), the sugar content averaged 19.5 Brix, with a nice balance of sugar and acids. The berries of Agra are medium-sized, but clusters are rather small, probably too small for commercial production. However, its extreme earliness and good chemistry make it interesting variety to use in further breeding. Agra begins to suffer winter injury at temperatures around -25C, so it is protected during the winter in Belarus and in some parts of the Baltics.
Veldze
Another white selection by Pauls Sukatnieks, Veldze was sampled on 9/15 at the Dobele Horticultural Plant Breeding Experiment Station in Latvia. Berries sampled at this site ranged from 16-20 Brix in sugar content, with rich and pronounced fruit flavor and aroma. The fruit was not foxy. Veldze produces an attractive, slightly loose cluster, ranging from 100 to 130 grams. It is pistillate, so it may not be commercially viable. However, it appears to be a valuable variety for further grape breeding. Veldze suffers winter injury at temperatures around -20C, so is typically protected during the winters in Latvia.
Meda
Also from Sukatnieks, Meda was evaluated at Dobele on 9/15. Sugar content of a berry sample averaged 20 Brix. The berries had a rather mild fruity flavor flavor, without any hint of foxiness. Most of the berries in a typical cluster of Meda were seedless. Berries are small to medium in size. Clusters are medium and typically a bit loose, probably not sufficiently attractive to be a commercial table grape. However, Meda would be worth a trial for wine production. Reported to be hardy to around -30C in the Baltics.
Varajane Sinine
This is the only native Estonian variety observed during the trip. The name means "Early Blue" in Estonian. This is also the earliest ripening grape we observed in the Baltics and Belarus with good potential for red winemaking. The origins of Varajane Sinine are not known, although there is speculation that it was propagated from a grape seedling growing on the Estonian island of Saarema in the Baltic Sea. Jaan Kivistik at the Rapina Agricultural College discovered this variety and has evaluated it for several years in Rapina. On 9/9 in Rapina, the sugar content of berries from Varajane Sinine ranged from 17 - 20.5 Brix, with moderate acidity. Berries were rather soft to pressure and seeds were reddish turning brown. 
Unnamed Novocherkask Selection
While evaluating grapes at Pinsk on 9/5, we were shown a Vitis amurensis x Vitis vinifera hybrid that had been obtained from the Plant Breeding Institute at Novocherkask, Russia. Unfortunately, the label had been lost, so its name was not known. Sugar content averaged 18.5 Brix on a sample of berries. The flavor was a slight muscat, with some noticeable tannins in the skins. Clusters were medium in size, a bit loose and with small-medium blue-black berries. The staff at Pinsk had produced a wine sample from this selection last year and were sufficiently pleased to continue working with it as a red wine grape. The selection has been absolutely hardy at Pinsk and so may have some potential for unprotected growing in the colder regions of the U.S.
Zilga
The name 'Zilga' in Latvian is quite poetic, meaning something like "deep dark-blue waters". Zilga is the only blue selection from Latvian breeder, Pauls Sukatnieks. Zilga was observed at numerous sites during the trip and with varying degrees of fruit maturity. Sugar content of berry samples ranged from 15.5 Brix on 9/15 at Dobele, Latvia to 17 Brix on 9/9 in Rapina, Estonia, and 18 Brix on 9/16 at Evalds Pupols vineyard in Latgale, Latvia. These Zilga vines at Mr. Pupols are an interesting case. While the sugar content was only 18 Brix, the fruit was very ripe to the taste, with Zilga's characteristic bilberry-like flavor. Acidity was rather low and the berries quite soft. Two to three meters of cane was hardened off on these vines, and their leaves were already showing red fall color. The vines had the look of vines that were shutting down for the winter.
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