Recommended Grape Varieties for the Colorado Front Range: Part II
By Jim Bruce
'Ristvin'
Jim has been growing grapes in marginal areas since 1974. He currently runs the Rist Canyon Vineyards. Rist Canyon vineyards is a varietal trial and research vineyard in the Colorado Front Range Foothills.
RED GRAPE VARIETIES CONTINUED:
GR7: GR7 has long been one of my favorite varieties. I got to know this variety back in the 1970's when I was doing research on 2,4-D and its affects on grapevine growth and maturation. GR7 is very tolerant of this herbicide and if you grow grapes in areas where the use of this chemical is common for agricultural production, you will find this a must variety. I have found that GR7 is very winter hardy. It hardens off its canes early in the season, before the clusters are harvested. This is a vigorous and productive vine with a trailing growth habit. Although a trailing type, it can also be trained to a VSP system with little difficulty. I have seen no disease with this variety. The clusters are medium with medium-sized berries. In a good year, it will make a stand-alone varietal, but in most years I blend it with Baco or Foch. GR7 ripens early with Foch, often attaining 22-24 Brix and a lower acidity than the Kuhlmann hybrids. Like most of the early varieties that I've mentioned, GR7 buds out early which can cause problems with late spring frosts.
Baco: Baco is one of the best hybrids for making red wine. It is very vigorous and cultural methods must be employed to control its rampant growth. Baco is disease resistant and productive. Cluster and berry size are small and thus must be long pruned to attain a good sized crop. Baco buds out later than most of the early ripening varieties which has been an advantage at RCV. Its biggest disadvantage is in being more winter tender than some of the hybrids. It is a must to train this variety to a multiple trunk system. Winter hardiness can be somewhat overcome by cluster pruning which allows the vine to put more energy into properly ripening the canes.
St. Croix: St. Croix is an early midseason grape here at the Rist Canyon Vineyards. It ripens to a high brix with medium acidity. The vine itself is a bit hard to control, wanting to go its own way in life. It does not lend itself to a VSP style of training. I use a single curtain system with this variety. Leaf pruning allows St. Croix to reach maximum ripeness. I find it a good blending wine. Medium clusters with medium berries. Disease resistant. I'm just getting to know this variety but from what I've seen it has good promise in this area.
Cascade: Cascade is an early variety. It does bud out later than most early varieties. Once established, it is a vigorous vine and very (almost over) productive. Medium clusters and berries. It is said to be winter hardy but here at RCV I've had it die back to the ground in some years. The wine is weak in color and very neutral. Not to be used as a varietal but makes a great blender. High brix and low acidity is the strong point for blending. On the down side, it is susceptible to powdery mildew and I've been told it is sensitive to some soil-borne viruses although I've never experienced this.
Castel: This is an old hybrid variety which does well in my vineyard. Its vigorous, semi-upright growth goes well with VSP. At my vineyard, Castel has remained disease free. Castel produces medium clusters of small to medium berries in midseason. The wines made from this variety are highly colored and more tannic than most hybrids. This makes Castel a wonderful blending wine.
Frontenac: Although an early variety, I'm pushing the limits of Frontenac here at RCV. This is an unusual variety. It is a vigorous and very winter hardy vine. Frontenac's growth habit is upright and disease free. It buds out slightly later than Foch and GR7, thus avoiding some frost. Frontenac has long, loose clusters of small berries. It can suffer from poor fruit set here at RCV. It reaches very high sugar (26-28 Brix), but the acidity is high also. The acid will take a dive if allowed to hang long enough. I have to cluster prune to one cluster to be able to come close to proper ripening here. I have tasted a wonderful wine made with Frontenac that had cherry-like flavors but it was made from Missouri grown grapes. I've been using Frontenac in my breeding program and am trying to get its vegetative properties and fruit flavor combined with a lower acidity. Blended with Cascade can produce a good wine.
Landot 244: Also known as Landal, this has been another surprise for me. It has shown more winter hardiness on this site than I would have suspected. L 244 has an upright grown and has been fairly disease resistant for me with just a little late season powdery mildew. L 244 ripens midseason here. It has medium-sized clusters with medium-large berries. I get 22 Brix with a very workable acidity. This variety makes a Pinot Noir-like wine. Its foliage turns a beautiful red in the fall. I planted it with its offspring, Landot 4511 thinking L 4511 would be a better variety but L 4511 matures too late in most years at RCV. This is another variety that is prominent in my breeding program because of its fruit characteristics.
DeChaunac: DeChaunac is a vigorous, productive midseason vine here in the Colorado Foothills. It shows good winter hardines. Buds out late and misses the late spring frosts. Clusters are long with medium-sized berries. DeChaunac must be cluster pruned to prevent overbearing and vine decline. It reaches 22 Brix at this site with workable acidity. DeChaunac makes a fair varietal wine but I recommend it as the base wine for blending. It does show powdery mildew late in the season after verasion. Once a standard variety in the Eastern U.S. but was overplanted and went out of vogue. A very dependable variety.
Chancellor: Chancellor is the latest ripening red variety from my varietal trial that I will recommend. My fascination with Chancellor is the quality of the wine, one of the best in my opinion. This variety makes a balanced wine with a very vinifera taste. One of the best in my opinion. It must be cluster pruned to avoid overbearing and winter kill. It is productive beyond belief with every shoot and sucker producing clusters. I usually get 22 Brix with a workable acidity with Chancellor. It buds out late, avoiding frosts. It is very susceptible to powdery mildew here and needs a spray program. In some years I find it almost too late for my conditions, but at the lower Front Range elevations it does fine. Grows well on a VSP trellis system. It is one of the varieties that I grow that is susceptible to early fall frosts. Most likely because it is later and still actively growing.
To continue recommended white varieties, CLICK HERE
RCV Sponsor
GEMPLER'S
strives to be the leader in the product niches where they specialize. GEMPLER'S Online Farm Store has made it a point to offer the largest selection of the following areas in their catalog and on-line store:
Safety and personal protection equipment for people working outdoors.
Work apparel: boots, gloves, hats, caps, coveralls, etc. – including personalized embroidery for these goods.
Horticultural tools and supplies: pruners, shovels, sprayers, flagging, carts, and a lot more.
Pest management diagnostic equipment and supplies, from pH meters to pheromone lure traps.
They have the largest assortment of IPM products that growers can use to monitor soil, weather, nutrient and insect problems.
Weather monitoring equipment.
Unique maintenance tools and supplies .
Tire repair and replacement supplies
(This category is where GEMPLER'S got its start in 1984.)
As the nation’s leading online wine retailer, the “new” Wine.com
brings the best of the Wine Country to wine enthusiasts throughout the nation. Wine.com offers consumers doorstep delivery of premium fine wines and related wine accessories, lifestyle wine clubs, plus remarkable individual and corporate wine gifts.
