Vine Performance and Wine Quality for Seventeen White Wine Grape Cultivars Grown in Erie County, Pennsylvania for Three Growing Seasons

Abstract

Field trials conducted with 17 white wine grape cultivars (cvs) in Erie County, Pa., for three growing seasons, revealed that several cvs can be grown commercially and produce quality wines. The cultivar (cv) Vidal 256 consistently produced an excellent quality wine exhibiting a "vinifera-like" character. The cvs Vignoles and Johannisberg Riesling (J. Riesling) consistently produced high quality wines, while musts of cvs GW 4, Seyval and Verdelet fermented into wines of acceptable quality. Yield of fruit from vines of Vidal 256 at 12.7 kg/v, GW 4 (12.8 kg/v), and Seyval (8.7 kg/v) were outstanding. Vines of Vignoles (7.4 kg/v) and Verdelet (6.4 kg/v) were very productive. Production of J. Riesling vines at 3.4 kg/v was low in these trials and not comparable to J. Riesling vines in other vineyards in Erie County, Pa. Soluble solids of the musts for the better wine cvs ranged from a high of 21% for Verdelet to a low of 18.8% for Seyval. Total acidity values of the musts expressed as tartaric acid for these same cvs ranged from a high of 1.50 g/100 g of must for Vignoles to a low of 0.93 g/100 g for Seyval. Vines of GW 4 were extremely vigorous and Vignoles vines were highly vigorous. Moderate vigor was manifested by Vidal 256 vines. Own-rooted Verdelet vines and grafted J. Riesling vines were considered rather low in vigor. Seyval vines exhibited poor growth.