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customers are interested in trying both." Maragas Winery's award-winning Central Oregon Tootsie is made from La Crescent and Frontenac grapes. HYBRID EDUCATION One of the challenges of growing cold-hardy grapes in the Pacific Northwest is the lack of information about hybrid viticulture. Chris Lake, director of the Southern Oregon Wine Institute at Umpqua Community College, said he believes that the "trajectory for hybrids is in the right place," although the college does not teach hybrid winemaking or grapegrowing as part of its certificate or degree programs. "If we have students who are interested in being entrepreneurs, I don't mind having a conversation with them about the potential for hybrids," said Lake, who once worked at Weiderkehr Wine Cellars, a 130-year-old winery in Arkansas. "My advice would be to find a location near a population center and find a grape that grows well there," he said. "You will have a better sense of identity with customers if you produce the grapes yourself." With their disease resistance, hybrids fit into Oregon's long history of sustainability. "Oregon is known for low-impact viticulture and with hybrids, there's reduced spraying or maybe no spraying at all," Lake said. to be lower in the West. The relatively low acidity of Oregon and Washington cold-hardy hybrids could be the result of warmer growing conditions than in the eastern United States, where hybrid production is common. Warm climates also increase grape sugars. Growing hybrids in warm areas, such as Washington's Horse Heaven Hills, can produce grape sugar levels that seem like misprints. In 2013, Champoux harvested his Marquette on Aug. 19 and reported 30.8 °Brix and titratable acidity of less than .90 grams per 100 mL. NURSERY RISK-TAKERS The establishment of cold-hardy hybrids requires the support of risk-taking nurseries that will invest in creating an inventory of vines. With more than 100 acres of virus-indexed rootstock, Inland Desert Nursery in the Red Mountain region of Washington started offering the University of Minnesota varieties during the spring of 2011. Inland Desert grows La Cres- cent, Frontenac Gris and Marquette, and sells them as 1-year-old dormant cuttings. (The other Minnesota grape, Frontenac, is still being evaluated by the Clean Plant Center in Prosser.) "We get a lot of interest from small growers in places where you can't grow vinifera," said Kevin Judkins, manager at Inland Desert. "As we move forward, there may be larger growers who have vineyards with cold spots that are susceptible to freeze who might want to grow hybrids as insurance or to blend with other varieties. We're seeing some interest from places in Washington that are just starting to grow grapes, like Chelan, Leavenworth and around Spokane." China Bend Winery, 100 miles north of Spokane, makes wine exclusively from hybrids. It sells 1,000 cases per year, all produced from estate-grown Leon Millot and Foch. Frost can occur in this part of the Columbia Valley into mid-May, but the 20 inches of annual rainfall and abundant sunshine are ideal for hybrids, according to proprietor Bart Alexander. "We don't harvest until the Brix is around 24 and an optimal pH of 3.4 is achievable," he said. China Bend wines sell for $25$40 per bottle. Alexander said his clients come to the winery for REGIONAL DIFFERENCES While it's too early to draw conclusions about the advantages of growing cold-hardy grapes in the region, the hybrid grape chemistry in parts of the Northwest does seem to differ from those being grown in the Midwest and elsewhere. Most notably, pH appears to be higher and titratable acidity appears w w w. v w m m e d i a.com Kevin Judkins of Inland Desert Nursery in Washington state has seen a lot of interest in hybrid cuttings from growers in vinifera-challenged regions. J a n - Feb 2014 | V INE YA RD & W INE RY M A N A G EM EN T 71