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Growing Wine Grapes in Northern Illinois

Grapes. One of my early childhood memories was eating a cluster of grapes while sitting on the curb in front of my house. It was one of those fall evenings that could set the standard for the "Indian summer" twilights we all remember. The smell of burning leaves was in the air, the trees seemed to glow with the setting sun but there was just enough light to keep my mother from calling me in.

These were special grapes grown by a neighbor, and I would pinch them one at a time into my mouth while holding on to the skin. They were Concord grapes, the standard variety grown in backyards all over my neighborhood in Rockford, Illinois. They made wonderful jelly and juice. However, if one attempted to make wine from them, the results were usually disappointing. Concord grape wine is an acquired taste, but doesn't resemble at all the wine made from European grape varieties, the varieties that provide the bulk of wines produced in California and the other major wine growing regions of the world.

The problem with growing wine grapes in this region revolves around the fact that the climate is too severe for the classic wine grapes. Their scientific classification is Vitis Vinifera. Here in Northern Illinois, the minimum winter temperatures kill the fruiting buds of most varieties like Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, etc.

In addition, even if the buds weren't killed by cold, the various fungus diseases endemic to the Midwest would severely impact the vines. The defoliated crab apple trees that we often see in the summer show the same symptoms that would affect these grapes. The apple leaves get diseased and fall off as early as July. Downey mildew, powdery mildew, black rot, anthracnose, dead arm, crown gall, phomopsis, bunch rot, all are names of afflictions that damage both the vines and the fruit of vitis vinifera.

And if the diseases weren't enough, insects would finish the job. The roots of vitis vinifera vines are susceptible to attack by an insect know as phylloxera and the vines gradually dwindle and die. There are many additional bugs that attack the vines, including borers, and leaf eaters such as Japanese beetles and caterpillars.

While this is an oversimplification of the reasons the Midwest is not traditionally a viticultural area, a few pioneers have been breeding wine grapes that are suited to our conditions. Essentially this is done by crossing the European wine grapes with the disease resistant American grapes. While thousands of crosses have been made, only a few have both the hardiness to thrive here and some of the wine making qualities of vitis vinifera. These hybrids have been produced by both American and European grape breeders. They are referred to generally as French hybrid because most of the early varieties were produced by French breeders. More recently American breeders have added to the number of successful varieties that have been produced. Cornell University at Geneva N.Y. has been a leader in breeding these new grape varieties. Wisconsin native Elmer Swenson was an individual breeder of such success that the University of Minnesota has used some of his work under the leadership of Peter Hemstad in their ongoing grape breeding project to produce winter hardy, disease resistant wine grapes for the rigorous climate of the upper Midwest.

Two pioneering wineries that recognized the possibility of making wine from grapes grown in the upper Midwest are Galena Cellars located near Galena, Illinois and Wollersheim Winery near Prairie du Sac, Wisconsin. Also, due to support by the State government of Illinois, there has been a recent increase in the number of new wineries in the state. Though most are in the southern part of Illinois, Waterman Winery (formerly Stiengtunt Winery) has opened in Waterman and Massbach Ridge Vineyards and Winery has opened near Elizabeth. These new wineries also have hybrid wine grapes as an important part of their grape plantings.

When it comes to individual grape varieties which the home gardener could plant for the purpose of wine making there are literally dozens to choose from. Talking to people who are familiar with French hybrid or some of the newer cold hardy wine grapes locally is difficult, since, until recently, few grow them. Some of the better nursery catalogs have listings of wine grapes and may be a good place to start. Using the Internet to contact sources of vines will also yield descriptions of the various types of grapes available. Great River Vineyard and St.Francois Vineyard are both suppliers of these vines and their web sites have such information. There are many additional nurseries that a web search could find. If one wished to start some vines from cuttings, click here for some specific steps for the process.

The "bottom line" for the beginner then would be, if you have the room for a few grapevines and the interest, there is no reason you can't grow wine grapes in this climate, grapes that, with care, have the potential to make great tasting wine.

An excellent 23 page pdf file for growing grapes in Wisconsin, but applicable to anywhere in the upper midwest is available. You will have to manipulate through several screens starting with the Extension home page then selecting choices in the following order: Lawn and Garden>Fruit>Berries>Care>Growing Grapes In Wisconsin. It can be downloaded so start by clicking: here.