Middle Creek Winery – Over the Rainbow in Kansas
At Middle Creek Winery in Louisburg, Kansas, the trees are bending to blustery, autumnal winds. As if to emphasize the drama of a visit from Midwest Wine Press, a tree snaps and crashes to...
Tagged: cold climate grapes
Marquette Wows Napa Wine Judges
Marquette, the cold-hardy hybrid grape planted across the Midwest, has wowed a panel of Napa wine experts. The California based online wine publication, Appellation America, gathered a panel to taste Marquette wines from 11...
Michigan Doubles Wine Grape Acreage
The Michigan Grape and Wine Industry Council says the state’s wine grape acreage doubled over the past decade from 1,300 to 2,650 acres. The data comes from a USDA report based on the 2011 Michigan Fruit...
Interview With Nick Smith of University of Minnesota
Midwest Wine Press spoke recently with Nick Smith at the University of Minnesota (U of M.) Nick is well-known in the region because, over the course of a year, he probably makes more different...
The True Value of Cold Hardy Hybrids
When the early members of the Minnesota Grape Growers Association (MGGA) first experimented with wine grapes in the early 1970’s, all the vines were cold tender or marginal at best. Foch stood out as...
Champaign Illinois Takes On Champagne France
The German poet, Goethe said, ‘Boldness has genius, power, and magic in it.” The quote has been prophetic for Illinois Sparkling Company. Illinois Sparkling has embarked on a bold move to create methode champenoise sparkling...
Netherlands Expanding Cold Climate Grapes
Midwest Wine Press has reported about the impact of the craft beer craze on local cider and wine production so it’s interesting to read a wine story from another beer and ‘vine’ industry scenario....
Grape Breeder’s Hypothesis Could Reveal Norton Grape Origins
A Virginia grape breeder has conducted experiments and historical research that could lead to the unveiling of the genetic origin of one of America’s most renowned and mysterious native grapes: Norton. The UK-based Journal...
Fisher King Creates a Legend in Wisconsin
Alwyn Fitzgerald named his winery Fisher King after the ancient legend of birth and rebirth. And September 2011 was the birth of something big for Alwyn ‘Fitz” Fitzgerald. That’s when he opened a converted...
Drastically Lower Grape Yields Predicted for Some Midwest States
The National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) has released its first estimate of the United States grape harvest yield in its August Crop Production report. Despite this year’s frosts that struck many states and the...