Petite Pearl Culture and Winetasting

Tom Plocher, Plocher Vines

Hugo, Minnesota

www.petitepearlplus.com

Petite Pearl

MN

1019

Manitoba

Riparia 64

Landot 244

MN1094

MN

1016

E.S. 4-7-26

Carmine

Seyve-Villard

12-375

Mandan

Wilder

Landot

4511

N. Dakota

riparia

E.S.

283

MN 78

Swenson

Red

E.S.

2-12-27

E.S.

193

E.S.

5-14

St.

Croix

Seyve-Villard

12-375

E.S.80

Seibel1000

MN 78

E.S. 593

Open

MN 78

Seneca

Beta

Kendaia

Witt

riparia

Concord

Seibel11800

MN 78

vinifera

labrusca

labrusca

vinifera

Lignan blanc

Ontario

Olmo, UC-Davis, 1946

Hansen, SDSU, 1935

French Hybridizers, 1875-1935

Vitis species

Elmer Swenson, 1950-2004

Old American hybrids, 1800’s

Hemstad, UM

Rogers, 1858

NYSES, Geneva, 1906-39

Cabernet Sauvignon x Carignan

Grenache

Louis Suelter, MN, 1880

Geneology of Petite Pearl

3/2/2017

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

Late spring freezes- May 14, 2016

1 8 15 22 29 6 13

Tem

pe

ratu

re (

F)

0

10

2

0

30

4

0

50

60

7

0

80

90

10

0

April May

-1 C

1

0 C

2

5 C

3/2/2017

The day after…

3/2/2017

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

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

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

2013 Petite Pearl Parallel 44 Vineyard, Kewaunee, WI

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%

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

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