Petite Pearl Culture and Winetasting Tom Plocher, Plocher Vines Hugo, Minnesota www.petitepearlplus.com
Geneology of Petite Pearl Petite Pearl MN1094 MN 1019 MN 1016 Manitoba Riparia 64 Carmine Mandan Grenache Cabernet Sauvignon x Carignan N. Dakota riparia Wilder Landot 244 labrusca vinifera Rogers, 1858 NYSES, Geneva, 1906-39 Hemstad, UM Olmo, UC-Davis, 1946 Hansen, SDSU, 1935 Louis Suelter, MN, 1880 E.S. 4-7-26 French Hybridizers, 1875-1935 Elmer Swenson, 1950-2004 Old American hybrids, 1800 s Vitis species 3/2/2017 E.S. 2-12-27 St. Croix Landot 4511 E.S. 5-14 Swenson Red E.S. 283 E.S. 193 Seyve-Villard 12-375 E.S. 593 Open MN 78 Seibel11800 MN 78 Seibel1000 MN 78 Seneca E.S.80 Seyve-Villard 12-375 Beta Witt Lignan blanc Ontario MN 78 Kendaia riparia Concord labrusca vinifera
Petite Pearl Fruit Characteristics Berry 2g; cluster 85-140g (Ave 96g), up to 180g on Red River Valley black clay Rather tough skins; good resistance to mildew and splitting; no reports of botrytis in the Upper Midwest Best quality at 4 tons/acre Ripens fruit over a range of heat from 2200-2600 degree Days F and 155-160 days growing season MN 1094 x E.S. 4-7-26 3/2/2017 Petitepearlplus.com Introduced in 2009
Vine Characteristics Neat moderate growth habit, few laterals, drooping shoots Low maintenance and good fruit exposure on high cordon Good disease resistance with a normal spray program (2 prebloom-2 postbloom)
Vine Characteristics
Winter Hardiness Good hardiness during transition seasons: -November, 2014- Cool growing season followed by sudden below zero cold in mid and late November. -12F in Hugo -November-December, 2016- Record warm November; sudden cold in Mid-December. -22F on 17 Dec. in Hugo -March 2012- Record warm temperatures from 10-24 March followed by cold in April Pretty good mid-winter hardiness over the years, except for the Polar Vortex in 2014
Temperature (F) -1 C 10 C 25 C 0 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 Late spring freezes- May 14, 2016 3/2/2017 1 8 15 22 29 6 13 April May
3/2/2017 The day after
Typical Petite Pearl Harvest Characteristics Hot summers-twin Cities and south 22-24 Brix, ph= 3.45, TA= 8 Cooler climates 21-22 Brix, ph= 3.28-3.38, TA= 9-10 High ratio (3:1) of tartaric to malic acid Soft tannins that are extractable during fermentation. Thick jammy must
Petite Pearl Wine Styles Discovering how it adapts to different climates with different ripening conditions A range of wine styles: Fruity dry reds produced with shorter maceration times or with carbonic maceration Elemental style dry reds using long maceration; less fruit, but star anise, clove, celery seed, mushrooms Rose wines with great color, fruit and body All have good balance between acidity, alcohol, and tannin
2016 Petite Pearl Rose, Lincoln Peak Winery, Middlebury, VT Harvested 9/18/2016 22 Brix, 3.29 ph, 7.8 TA Hour and a half skin contact in press Fairly hard press cycle Cool fermented with 71B yeast Yeast nutrient Back sweetened to 0.5% RS Degassed Bottled 12/1/2016 not fully cold stable Wine 12.2% Alc, 3.35 ph, 6.9 TA
2016 Petite Pearl Parallel 44 Vineyard, Kewaunee, WI Harvest 10-10-16 ph 3.27 Brix 21.0 T.A. 9.0 Innoculated 10-01-16 ICV D80 Next day Malo VP41 Punched down 3X a day Pressed 10-05-16 at Brix=5 02-01-17 Oak staves ( 45 degrees Rhone French oak favors mouthfeel, structure and spice over toast ) Added fine lees - 20 gallons (Louise Swenson) Current chemistry ph 3.49 T.A. 8.5
2013 Petite Pearl Parallel 44 Vineyard, Kewaunee, WI Harvest 10-10-2013 Brix 21.1; ph 3.36; T.A. 10.5 10-12-13 Inoculated with Assmanhausen (AMH) Next day Malo MBR31 Punched down 3X a day 10-16-13 Pressed at Brix.5 11-26-13 added 25% Marquette 01-30-14 oak staves for about 6 weeks ( 46 degrees Burgundy French oak favors toast over mouthfeel) Bottled 8-25-14 Bottle Chemistry ph 3.36 T.A. 8.3 R.S. 1.0%
2013 Petite Pearl, Bear Creek Winery, Fargo, ND Harvest 9 October 22 Brix ph= 3.28 TA = 9.5 Crushed, sulfited and 48 hours cold soak Inoculated D254 yeast and, 24 hrs later, VP41 malo 18 days maceration at 80-85F; gentle pressing 12 months in Hungarian oak Not filtered Bottle chemistry Alcohol= 12.5%; ph= 3.61, TA= 7.7
Thanks!! Steve Johnson, Parallel 44 Winery Chris Granstrom, Lincoln Peak Winery Rod Ballinger, Bear Creek Winery