 |
Note: A More Current Story Exists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2003
Contact: Linda McCandless, 315-787-2417
New Grape to be Renamed
by Linda McCandless
|
Note: A More Current Story Exists
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
March 11, 2003
Contact: Linda McCandless, 315-787-2417
New Grape to be Renamed
by Linda McCandless
 |
| The new 'GR7' grape, released by Cornell at the Viticulture 2003 conference on Feb. 20, in Buffalo, NY, makes a good red wine, and is disease resistant and very winter hardy. |
GENEVA, NY: Grape breeders at Cornell will rename the red wine grape they released as 'Abundance' because of a trademark infringement. Abundance Vineyards, in Sonoma, California, claims ownership to the name.
"For now, the grape will go back to being called GR7, which stands for 'Geneva Red 7,' its test name," said Bruce Reisch, Cornell University professor of grape breeding and genetics at the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station, in Geneva, NY, who helped develop the grape.
A committee of in-state and out-of-state grape growers and wine makers will start looking for another name immediately. Reisch had officially named the grape in February at Viticulture 2003, the New York grape industry's annual trade show in Buffalo.
An initial search of the US Patents and Trademarks Office database did not uncover the name 'Abundance'. After being contacted by the Sonoma County vineyard, a search by registration number showed that the group Brand Partners LLC Limited Liability Company California holds a registered trademark for Abundance in the area "Goods and Services-Wine."
The grape, which is dubbed the "working man's red," has proven to be a solid performer for the grape growers and wine makers who have tested it. In vineyards, the grape is high yielding, cold hardy, and disease resistant. In the winery, the grape can be used to make dark red wines with a classical aroma, and is particularly useful in blends.
GR7 was selected from a cross of 'Buffalo' x 'Baco noir' in 1947. It is one of six wine grapes released by the Geneva Experiment Station. The Station is internationally renowned for its fruit breeding programs, and has released over 243 fruits in its 128-year history. Of those, 52 have been grapes.
Links:
Where to buy 'GR7'
