Image of red grape clusters with thumprint grape breeding logo and the words "Grape breeding and enology"

Welcome to the Grape Breeding and Enology project website

Located at the University of Minnesota-Twin Cities, we conduct research in the Department of Horticultural Science and at the Horticultural Research Center. Our focus is on grapevine cultivar development which includes: wine grapes, table grape varieties, and ornamentals that survive and thrive in cold-climate conditions. We also work on understanding the mechanisms of disease and pest resistance so that we can incorporate these traits as a way to improve sustainability for Minnesota growers. In addition to breeding grapes, we develop and teach enology best practices for cold-hardy grapes.

Ask for Clarion!

By Kate Fessler, Drew Horton, John Thull, and Matt Clark

We have developed a short guide for our most recent UMN release, 'Clarion'! This high quality white wine cultivar is hardy to USDA Zone 5. Click on the preview below to open the PDF, or at the following link: Link to Clarion fact sheet.

Image of the first page of the Clarion fact sheet

News

Petite Pearl fact sheet now available

Petite Pearl, a wine grape cultivar commonly planted in Minnesota, has a new fact sheet available! Written by the breeder, Tom Plocher, and previous Small Fruit Extension expert, Annie Klodd, the sheet is a great resource for anyone looking to establish a Petite Pearl planting.


Dr. Matt Clark featured by CBC News!

Project Director Dr. Matt Clark and the VitisGen3 project are featured in a new article by Darius Mahdavi of CBC News about the future of Canadian vineyards and the implications of VitisGen-driven biotechnology research for the wine industry.