This empirical study involves a number of people who are growing hardy varieties in unusual places. In total, more than 35,000 hardy vines have been tracked over this winter. The premise is that each grower recorded or estimated the coldest temperature in their vineyard over the winter of 2002-2003. After the winter, each grower gave a personal, subjective assessment of the damage that their vines sustained over the winter, as a number (1 no damage to 5 severe damage). It was concerned only with winter damage, not spring frost damage, rabbit predation, deranged snowmobilers etc. (such vines were removed from the study).
These results are anecdotal, and may or may not show a pattern useful to others, and should not be relied on as anything more than rough guidance as to what has happened elsewhere. The vines recorded were not buried for winter.
Even when ideally grown, each grape variety will have a temperature at which cold will kill it - or more precisely, a range of temperatures depending on the weather patterns that precede the cold incident. This project is not an effort to scientifically establish these minimum temperatures. It is only a rough guide to what others have seen elsewhere. Yet if you know that your coldest winter temperature is -28oC, then such information may be of great use to you in predicting what MAY work for you.
Each variety listed below can be reached by clicking on the name. The upper set of links is to the tables with the study results. The lower set of links is to a page of information provided by growers and other people about the specific varieties. The tables show the names of the growers, their locations, the extent of the vines being tested, and a listing of coldest temperatures over this winter and their survival ratings. Where the growers have shown interest, you can click on their underlined name to send them an email and make contact with them. The information pages should provide at least a little background about these often new and largely unknown varieties. No warranty of any kind is offered from the information provided.
HARDY RED VARIETIES
HARDY WHITE VARIETIES
HARDY RED VARIETIES
HARDY WHITE VARIETIES
DM 8521-1 ES 4-7-25 ES 5-17 Frontenac Kate Lin
Landal Noir (244) Landot Noir (4511) Lucie Kuhlman Sabrevois St. Croix
Delisle ES 6-16-30 ES 8-2-43 Frontenac Gris Geisenheim 318
La Crescent Louise Swenson Prairie Star Swenson White Vandal Cliche
INFORMATION ABOUT THE VARIETIES
DM 8521-1 ES 4-7-25 ES 5-17 Frontenac Kate Lin
Landal Noir (244) Landot Noir (4511) Lucie Kuhlman Sabrevois St. Croix
Delisle ES 6-16-30 ES 8-2-43 Frontenac Gris Geisenheim 318
La Crescent Louise Swenson Prairie Star Swenson White Vandal Cliche
www.littlefatwino.com