Thought that cold climates and good wine were mutually exclusive? Think again. A granddaughter of Pinot Noir, Marquette sets a new standard in cold hardy wine grapes. Finished wines are complex, with attractive ruby color, pronounced tannins, and desirable notes of cherry, berry, black pepper, and spice on both the nose and palate. These grapes have done particularly well at a cold location in Alberton that has seen temps well into the -30Fs. Sometimes if you regularly see below -30F in the winter, it has been our experience and the experience of many who have planted out Marquette over the years, that the tops may die the first few winters but that they’ll continually come up from the base the following year. This is totally okay because these are from rooted cuttings and not grafts, so those roots will be from Marquette, and you’ll get Marquette grapes when they come up in the Spring. It does set the grape back a little but eventually after a couple years it will be strong enough to take harder frosts without dying back to the roots. This self-pollinating grape is a must for any Montanan looking to make good quality, cold climate wine.

These grapes are going on their second year after being rooted from cuttings. Nice strong grpaes with good root systems.