OUR WINES / GRAPE VARIETIES
Grape varieties
This section introduces you to a few of the main grape varieties grown in Québec. Our rigorous climate motivated our grape growers to find new species of vine, thus giving the world of wine new flavours. For you to discover!
Grape varieties for white wine
| Acadie BlancDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | |
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| Resistance to cold | |
| AdalmiinaDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | |
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| Resistance to cold | |
| CayugaDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | Originated as a cross between Seyval and Schuyller carried out inGeneva, New York. Has large bunches and beries. Productivity is low due to the long internodes, which interfere with the protection of the buds. |
| Wine style | Fruity, German style |
| Resistance to cold | nd |
| ChardonnayDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | The grape may have originated in the north of France where about half of it is used to produce Champagne. It is often blended with Pinot Noir. Touted as the world's most popular grape. |
| Wine style | Flavours of tropical fruit and buttered toast. |
| Resistance to cold | nd |
| DelisleDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | |
| Wine style | |
| Resistance to cold | |
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| EonaDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | Hansen hybrid (Lady Wellington x Beta). |
| Wine style | Gold tinted wine having flavours of flowers and tropical fruits. |
| Resistance to cold | -35 ℃ |
| Frontenac GrisDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | It is in fact a color mutation found on the mother Frontenac vine (then called MN1047) in the University’s collection at Excelsior, Minnesota. It is culturally identical to the original red Frontenac and can only be told from the original when the grapes begin to color bronze rather than red. Frontenac Gris has the same desirable growth characteristics of Frontenac: good vigor, reliable hardiness and ability to bear heavily. It has the same weaknesses as well: it can be complex to vinify, and susceptibility to Phylloxera and Anthracnose. |
| Wine style | When made with skin time, it produces a light rose’ or blush, with apricot and peach flavors. When made as a white, it is crisp and clean with aromas of tropical fruits (especially pineapple) and honey. It has also been used to make a good ice-type wine where in the color is more red and the flavor quite intensely cherry. |
| Resistance to cold | -27 ℃ |
| GeisenheimDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | Geisenheim318-57, Cross between the German Riesling and Chancellow created in 1957. Ripens in late September. |
| Wine style | The fruit has a lot of Riesling character with better flavor in a somewhat cooler climate. |
| Resistance to cold | nd |
| HibernalDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | A cross between Riesling and Chancellor done in 1958 at the Geisenheim research station in Germany. Maturity is almost as late as Vidal‘s. Does not withstand mounding well so it is usually protected in by geotextiles in winter. |
| Wine style | Fine and aromatic wines, especially suited for late harvest |
| Resistance to cold | nd |
| Kay GrayDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | Kay Gray was developed by the Wisconsin grape breeder Elmer Swenson circa 1980 and is named after a family friend. It is a seedling of Swenson's own ES 217 (a cross of MN 78 and Golden Muscat). Kay Gray itself is female and requires a pollen source in order to set fruit. |
| Wine style | Fruity labrusca flavor. |
| Resistance to cold | -35 ℃ |
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| Louise SwensonDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | Cross between ES 2-3-17 and Kay Gray. Perhaps the best white grape of Elmer Swenson of Minnesota. High bud fertility. Very reliable both in quality and quantity. Maturity is earlier than Seyval and bunches all ripen at the same time. Growth can be moderate so it should not be planted on poor or very light soil. |
| Wine style | Light wine, floral, very pleasant to drink pure and even better if blended with a varietal with more body such as Delisle or Prairie Star. |
| Resistance to cold | –36 ℃ |
| N.Y. MuscatDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | |
| Wine style | |
| Resistance to cold | |
| Prairie StarDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | Prairie Star is one of the hardiest white wine varieties, suffering little damage in all but the harshest winters. The fruit matures to excellent sugar—20 to 22 Brix—and acidity for white winemaking. |
| Wine style | Neutral wine. Adds body and finish to thinner white wines. |
| Resistance to cold | -35 ℃ |
| RieslingDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | Regarded as the world's greatest white table wine variety. Riesling is native to Germany where it is believed to have been cultivated for the last 500 years or maybe the last 2000 years. Of all white grapes, it is Riesling that ages successfully for decades. |
| Wine style | Complex dry and fruity wine. |
| Resistance to cold | nd |
| Saint-PépinDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | St. Pepin was produced and patented by Elmer Swenson circa 1970. It is a hybrid of the male Seyval blanc crossed to a seedling of Minnesota 78 by Seibel 1000 (aka Rosette). Unlike most modern grapes it is a pistillate female and so needs to be planted next to male vines from a close sibling variety to achieve pollination. |
| Wine style | Riesling style fruity wine, but sweeter. |
| Resistance to cold | -40 ℃ |
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| Seyval BlancDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | French hybrid (Seyve Villard-5-276), the oldest varietal in Quebec. Its high bud fertility and large bunches makes it well suited for mounding. Maturity is reached by end of September in the southern part of Quebec. Bunches do not all ripen at the same time. |
| Wine style | Typicaly produces a perfumed, dry white wine |
| Resistance to cold | –24 ℃ |
| Swenson WhiteDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | E.S. 2-3-17 x Kay Gray; Elmer Swenson, 2001. It has an orderly growth habit, with moderate vigor on most sites. It buds out relatively late in the spring compared to other interspecific hybrid grape varieties. |
| Wine style | The wine has a delicate aroma of flowers and honey. |
| Resistance to cold | nd |
| VidalDisplay the wines belonging to this grape variety |
| Description | French Hybrid (Vidal 256). Has similar caracteristics to Seyval. Well-suited to mounding, however, the bunch is longer and looser. The skin of the grapes is very thick, which is ideal for the production of ice wine. |
| Wine style | Gives a fine wine reminiscent of pinot gris. Produces an excellent ice wine. |
| Resistance to cold | nd |
See the grape varieties for red wine
Association des Vignerons du Québec inc. Tous droits réservés 2012.
