Issue link: http://read.dmtmag.com/i/53575
Grapes Marquette viticulture traits • Cold hardiness: USDA zone 4 • Resistant to powdery mildew, downy mildew, black rot • Moderate resistance to infestation by foliar phylloxera • Open and orderly vine growth habit • Shoots average two small to medium clusters per shoot, avoiding need for cluster thinning • Ripens in early midseason (Sept. 19 in east central Minnesota) • Moderate yields averaging 3.5 tons per acre Marquette fruit and wine traits • Berries are small to medium (half inch in diam- eter); cluster size averages 89 grams • Sugar levels high, averaging 25°–26° Brix • Acid levels higher than most cultivars (8 to 10 grams per liter) • Average juice pH value 3.00 • Marquette is a teinturier variety, highly pigmented with red skin and pulp. • Similar aromas to Gamay or Pinot Noir wines; dominated by flavors of cherry, black currant, but can also exhibit complex flavors of blackberries, pepper, plum, tobacco, leather, and spice • Wine style: medium bodied, good for table wines necessarily a bad thing," she said. Juice titratable acidity averages from eight to ten grams per liter, hitting seven to eight grams in a good year and 11 to 12 grams in a poor year. Marquette has the option of being a great blending variety, and even though it ripens early, she said it tends to have high sugars. "In areas where we struggle to get 20 to 21° Brix in Cabernet Franc, in the same year we'll get 24 to 25° Brix in Marquette. In Minnesota, we have no problem reaching 25° Brix, even last summer that was a super short growing season." Cook shared that when working with Marquette grape juice she uses classic red winemaking techniques of malo lactic fermentation for both acid reduction and increased wine complexity and mouth feel. "Marquette wines can have a nice black pepper aroma that isn't overpowering," she said, adding that low tannin and higher acidity wines are more food friendly. Marquette goes well with poultry food dishes. Hemstad said that those who are making wine with Marquette are very excited and the variety is making itself known with medals and awards won at major wine competitions. "I'm actually surprised at how good the wines are," he said. "Most people assume that because the variety is cold hardy, it would be lacking in quality. But I've tried a lot of Marquette wines, and the variety just seems to be picking up steam. It does have a place in the world, for the Pacific Northwest and certain areas. It's a good insurance variety." Several California nurseries are now licensed to prop- agate the patented variety. Washington's Inland Desert Nursery in Benton City is also licensed and has certified plant material available. Inland Desert Nursery representative Jeff Sample said that Inland Desert has received lots of inquiries about Marquette from within and outside the state, and a few acres have been planted in Washington. • www.goodfruit.com GOOD FRUIT GROWER FEBRUARY 1, 2012 31 Rental Returns starting at . . . 5101EN with Cab $ 24,950 Call Mike at 509-797-5806 or Kelly at 509-393-8378 & e. . . Wo ike Fine Wine Washington Tractor ik Work Well Together