New Red Hybrids Coming From Ed Swanson

Mark Ganchiff

Mark Ganchiff is the publisher of Midwest Wine Press, the leading source of news on the growing wine industry in the central United States. Mark has been a wine judge at the 2012 and 2014 INDY International Wine Competition, the 2014 Cold Climate Wine Competition, the 2013 Mid-American Wine Competition, the 2012 Illinois State Fair Wine Competition and the 2013 Michigan Wine Competition. He also enjoys speaking at wine events including the Cold Climate Wine Conference, the Illinois Grape Growers and Vintners Association Annual Meeting, the Midwest Grape and Wine Conference and the Wisconsin Fruit and Vegetable Conference. Mark's articles about regional wine have appeared in Vineyard & Winery Management, WineMaker and several regional magazines. Mark is a Level One Sommelier in the Court of Master Sommeliers. He lives in Louisville, but also has a residence in Chicago.

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5 Responses

  1. Having tasted some of Ed’s wine from both of the announced grapes, both cultivars are going to be wonderful additions to our Midwest battery of vines and offer the wine maker huge strides forward in the “Reds” category with regard to tannins.

  2. Alan Green says:

    Mark, good story with promise of a good addition to the region’s repertoire. Are the basic chem numbers means over a period or from one particular season? Thanks and keep up the good work.

    • Ed Swanson says:

      Those were worse case numbers from last year with very hot nights under drought conditions. By the way these numbers are for the 11-2-48 x R x T x Chancellor vine. Four year numbers are:
      22.4 brix, 3.4 pH, and 10.28 TA.

      • Jon says:

        Hey Ed,
        How cold have you seen some of these varieties survive? Do you think any of them to be Minnesota capable?

        • Ed Swanson says:

          The Temparia has gone through -28F, with 50% damage to primaries. The St.Croix x Calzin has suffered quite a bit of damage at -24F. The 11-2-48 x R x T x Chancellor went through that -24F with little damage except for one plant that was over-cropped which froze to the ground. It’s large clusters require it to be cluster thinned.
          Of course, inherent cold hardiness is just one factor in a vines survival in areas outside of where it was originally bred for. I tried for 16 years to grow Edelweiss and finally gave up. It froze down each year.
          So I guess I need to have some of my selections tested a little farther north. I do remember that Dave McGregor tested Temparia in central MN and couldn’t keep it above ground.