This is the beginning of a beautiful relationship. Or many.
A new grape with a decidedly Minnesota name is delighting local growers and vintners and starting to grab the attention of wine enthusiasts.
Called the Itasca, it is being hailed as at least a “breakthrough” and more likely a “game changer” for the state’s still-nascent wine industry. One winemaker even likened the 2017 University of Minnesota release to what the research center achieved with Honeycrisp and Zestar apples.
“What the U did with the apples, they’re there with Itasca,” said Greg Peterson, owner and winemaker of
Wild Oaks Ranch in Lakeville.
While grape growers gush, consumers are just now beginning to enjoy the fruits of the university’s labors. The first commercial vines were planted in 2017, and it takes at least three years for the grapes to be viable for winemaking. The youthful 2019 Itascas have proven hugely popular at tasting rooms.
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Consumers have enjoyed white grapes developed by the U, such as La Crescent and Frontenac Gris, for the better part of this century. But those hybrids tend to be sweet and often overly perfumey. What makes the Itasca the game-changer? In a word, acid. Itasca’s lower natural acidity makes it more akin to European grapes like sauvignon blanc and pinot grigio.
According to the U, ripe Itasca grapes come in at 8.54 grams per liter of total acidity, while Frontenac Gris averages 13.8 and La Crescent 12.6. Varieties with higher acidities require modifications after being picked and crushed.
Put simply, “When the acid is substantially lower, winemakers don’t have to fight it,” said Peter Hemstad, co-owner and winemaker at Saint Croix Vineyards in Stillwater.
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