A Short History of Vitis Vinifera Growing in New York State  Back to Table of Contents Back to Bob Pool Home Page

Since the arrival of the first Europeans, viticulture in the eastern US has been a history of repeated attempts to establish the European wine grape, Vitis vinifera, L. (vinifera) . The first three centuries of these attempts did not result in commercial success, but gradually produced a better understanding of the problems associated with this endeavor. This long effort has finally resulted in the establishment of commercial vinifera production in the east, but many problems must still be overcome, especially in New York state. The eastern summers are moist, creating a climate hospitable for fungal diseases to which the wild, local grapes are resistant, but to which vinifera easily succumb. Phylloxera, an aphid native to North America, devastates the root system of the European grape. Cold, northern winters quickly eliminate vines weakened by disease, phylloxera or which cannot fully mature fruit and vine in the short growing season. In the south, a native bacterium that causes Pierce's disease is still devastating any but naturally resistant native vines.

The initial commercial answer to these problems was to utilize the native resource, the wild grape. Selections of superior wild stock were the foundation for native grape varieties, but later the results of accidental and deliberate crossings between native and European grape produced varieties which have become the traditional mainstays of the New York grape industry. These efforts were so successful that today the flavor of grape juice and jellies is everywhere in the world equated with that of the native grape, V. labrusca.

Native varieties have also proven very useful for premium quality dessert wines and for sweet, aperitif-style table wines. Because of excessive astringency and bitterness which usually is masked by residual sugar, the native American varieties, which were mostly produced during the 19th Century, do not make acceptable dry wines. Modern breeding programs in New York, in North America and in Europe have continued the progress of combining positive qualities of native and European grapes. New varieties have been produced which are well adapted to New York and produce very acceptable, dry table wines. The best of these for growing in New York are described in Cornell Cooperative Extension Information Bulletin 233 - Wine and Juice Grape Varieties for Cool Climates. Concerns for the environment and for the needs of low input agriculture are putting a premium on the efforts of the grape breeders to introduce improved clones and new grape varieties with better resistance to pests and cold.

In spite of this, progressive wine grape growers and researchers have continued their efforts to produce vinifera grapes commercially. Despite the best efforts of modern breeding, no new grape varieties have been created which equal or surpass the wine quality of a few select, premium varieties grown in a climate allowing expression of their full quality potential. The pioneering efforts of eastern growers have not only established vinifera culture under difficult conditions, they also shown that eastern grown vinifera grapes produce superior quality wines.

Two individuals who led this quest for success in New York were Charles Fournier of the Gold Seal Wine Company and Dr. Konstantine Frank of Vinifera Wine Cellars. Mr. Fournier was influential not only for his encouragement of efforts to grow vinifera, but also for making wines that demonstrated the quality potential of European grapes. Dr. Frank brought with him his experience of growing European grapes in regions of extreme cold, his knowledge of varieties and his dogged persistence in pursuing the task of producing vinifera in New York. He demonstrated that success was commercially feasible and smoothed the path for those who followed.

The path to success for commercial vinifera vineyards in New York has been long, expensive, frustrating and not without controversy. The accumulation of the required knowledge and expertise has been gradual. Causes for failure were identified and most have been overcome. The debilitating effect of phylloxera is avoided by growing susceptible European vines on resistant, native rootstocks. Plant pathologists have identified the organisms causing the most serious diseases. The biology and growth requirements of these organisms has been studied and fungicides developed for disease control. At the same time, viticulturists have developed knowledge of the varieties and learned to adopt and adapt cultural practices which will improve vine maturity, fruit maturity, disease resistance, winter hardiness and the ability to tolerate winter cold damage. This work is still in progress.

All of these efforts have been crucial, but none more so than the need to identify appropriate vinifera varieties to grow. The early experiments often tested vines from southern, rather than northern Europe. Later, because California - a state blessed with long, hot, dry summers and warm, short winters - became the primary source for test vines, failures resulted due to the use of inappropriate varieties or clones of potentially well adapted varieties. One major reason for the current success of the New York vinifera industry is that adapted varieties have been identified. These have been found growing in regions of Europe where the conditions are most similar to those of New York, the northern edge of viticulture. The crucial need for appropriately adapted germplasm is the foundation for the work reported in this publication.

Europeans have also been active in the area of plant breeding. During the middle of this century, many new varieties were produced, particularly by German breeders. With the sponsorship of Mr. John Dyson of Millbrook Vineyards (Millbrook, NY) and the New York Wine and Grape Foundation, some of these varieties have been imported to test their potential for the New York grape industry. These importations would not have been possible without the cooperation of Mr. Peter Deth of the New York State Department of Agriculture and Markets and Dr. Dennis Gonsalves of the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station who performed the tests required to ensure quarantinable diseases were not present. Mr. John Nicklin of Marlboro, NY, provided land for test plantings and contributed generous assistance and encouragement. The staff of the Highland, NY research station were also generous in contributing technical support to gather data.

The results of these tests for potential adaptation to New York follow. Varieties recommended for planting are marked by an asterisk (*). In following these recommedations the grower should consider the special needs imposed by the particular region and site in question. The full need for testing has not been completely satisfied by publication of this report. This is the first of a planned series of reports relating to the culture of vinifera grapes in New York state. The progress of our industry depends on the ability to import and identify adapted and improved grape germplasm, the primary resource of the grape grower and wine maker.

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