Game Changer Grape is a Little Pearl

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10 Responses

  1. Dennis Heltemes says:

    Great article summarizing Tom Plocher’s presentation at this year conference. I’m really looking forward to tasting more wine’s made from Petite Pearl. Thanks Piero!

  2. Jeremy says:

    Hi Piero was there any discussion as to when Tom might release some of the other varieties??

    • Piero Spada says:

      Jeremy, sorry for the late reply but I just got official word from Tom about when we can expect some of the newer hybrids to be released:

      1) TP 1-1-34 Expect some limited availability in 2015, more realistic release in 2016. High tannin content relative to all quantified cold hardy hybrids. TP/ tannin ration of 3. Reminds Tom in style of Sangiovese.

      2) TP 1-1-12 Described as Sabrevois nose meets P. Pearl Structure. As such, a Quebec nursery is the first to propagate significant numbers, expected release 2016. TP / tannin ratio of 6.0

      3) TP 2-1-17 The sister of Petite Pearl. TP / tannin ratio of 6.0. Lighter color than Petite Pearl. Best used for rose and soft fruity dry reds.

      Thanks Tom!

      Cheers,
      Piero

      • Jeremy says:

        Hi Piero
        Thanks for the responce. This is pretty exciting news! I cant wait to see the outcome. I wish I could get my hands on some of the TP 1-1-12 vines a little sooner than 2016.

  3. Lucian Dressel says:

    Good article. Like racehorses, though, the bloodline is always of interest and was not mentioned. What are the parents and which wild varieties are involved? Thanks.

    • Mark Ganchiff says:

      Hi Lucian,

      Good point! Does anyone know for sure with Chambourcin? I’d like to know too…if any Chambourcin grape nerds can help out, please let us know.
      kind regards
      Danny
      (using Mark’s log-in)

    • Piero Spada says:

      Lucian,

      Like most “neo” hybrids of today, the pedigree of Petite Pearl is rather complex but Petite Pearl’s parents are MN 1094 and E.S. 4-7-26.

      Cheers,
      – Piero

  4. George Scovronski says:

    Great summary Piero. I also tasted wine from Petite Pearl at the conference and was blown away in comparison to Frontenac and Marquette. Producers were Vines and Rushes from Ripon and Parallel 44 from Door County, who aged it on oak for a while (don’t know how many months). Lucian, you can see the parentage of Petite Pearl on Tom’s website. Can’t wait for more releases.

  5. Chuck Klimek says:

    I heard Tom’s presentation, & tasted Petite Pearl wine at the conference. It convinced me to order Petite Pearl vines, & I plan on pulling my existing Marquette vines. These are exciting times for those making wine with cold climate grapes. Great article Piero.

  6. Paul Bulas says:

    Happy to see progress being made with the new-generation hybrids. An exciting future lies ahead. The first hybrid that turned me onto wines from interspecific varieties was Foch, and I still like it – though here in Ontario, it’s getting hard to find. For some reason, Baco remains huge in Ontario, even though Foch is the better of the two for acid/tannin balance (qualitatively speaking). I find that Frontenac tastes much like Baco, while Marquette has a very nice tannic edge to it. Noiret, from NY State, is excellent – though no winery in Ontario has it. Noiret smells like Syrah but looks like Chambourcin due to its pigmentation. Haven’t yet tried Petite Pearl – I don’t think anyone this side of the border grows it (yet).