Cannon River Shoots for the Stars in Minnesota
Walking into Vincent Negret’s back office at Cannon River Winery in Minnesota is like entering the laboratory of a mad scientist. Sticky notes and articles cover the walls – “I’m visual,” he says –...
Tagged: cold climate grapes
Drought Tipping Point: Vines Risk Long Term Damage
As the drought continues to worsen and temperatures across the Midwest exceed 100 degrees, viticulture experts warn that grape growers could face long-term vine damage. If there is no significant rain in the coming days,...
Frontenac Gris Grape Moves Beyond Minnesota
During 1992, a new grape variety was discovered by Peter Hemstad in the vineyard at the University of Minnesota’s Horticulture Research Center. According to Katie Cook, enology project leader at the University of Minnesota,...
Parallel 44 Winery Masters the Frozen Tundra
February in northeast Wisconsin is bone-chilling cold, but that doesn’t stop Steve Johnson and Maria Milano, owners of Parallel 44 Winery and Vineyard near Kewaunee, Wis., from throwing an outdoor winter wine festival. Last...
Northern Sun Winery Rises in the UP of Michigan
Northern Sun Winery, one of the first wineries in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan (UP) to make wine from grapes grown in its own UP vineyard, will open in July, according to owner...
Minnesota Winemakers Mastering Ice Wines
The warmest parts of Minnesota are in USDA climate zone 4b so wine grapes there have to withstand -25F from time to time. Rising to meet the challenge, The University of Minnesota has...
Mother, Daughter Make Wine at Elmaro Vineyard
Lynita Delaney and daughter Laura Roessler credit the price of Coca-Cola in Italy as one reason they started making wine together in Wisconsin. The two were pursuing their passion for curling at a competition...
Brianna Grape is Midwest’s New Tropical Fruit
When Acquaviva Winery in Maple Park, Illinois petitioned the Tax and Trade Bureau during 2007 to use the name Brianna for their wine labels, they found that only one other winery had petitioned for...
Creating a Regional Flavor
Last fall, I was having a discussion with one of my volunteer pickers about tasting local wines. He had recently visited some local wineries and mentioned one in particular. “It didn’t feel right. It...
Interview with Katie Cook, U of MN’s Rising Star
Katie Cook left the Minneapolis suburb of Prior Lake after graduating from high school in 2000. What followed was a world-wide wine adventure that included a Masters of Enology degree from the University of Bourgogne in...