Does anyone have experience with this cultivar? I read it will make a good German-style white wine and is also a good table grape; it is also supposed to be pretty hardy.
the Michigan Grape Society: http://www.canr.msu.edu/vanburen/fmgs.html and particularly the listserve at http://littlefatwino.com/larry.html would be good resources for info on this Elmer Swanson grape. Ralph
Oh, thanks. I am pretty sure I want to grow this. Now I just need to decide on another variety too, since 'St. Pepin' needs a pollenizer. Maybe another table or juice grape that would ripen at a different time. 'Kay Gray' looks like a promising choice (a little earlier ripening than 'St. Pepin' and also a Swenson variety,) a disease-resistant table grape, fully-hardy in zone 4. It may be available from: Bailey Nurseries, Inc. - 1325 Bailey Road, St. Paul, MN 55119 Turnbull Nursery, Inc. - 10036 Versailles Plank Road, North Collins, NY 14111
Timing is everything with varieties requiring a pollen donor. It will do little good if your St. Pepin blooms 2 weeks before of after the other variety. I would suggest more than one, and also get some specific qualified advice from a St. Pepin grower or academic. Ralph
Hi I hope this will be of some help to you. I have 70 St Pepin plants growing. My vines were started from cuttings 4 years ago. They have survived prolonged 0 degree F. with short periods of -10 degrees F., with only minor damage at the very tips. Mine have not set many bunches, and I just found out they need a pollinator for them to bear well. Mine are bordered on one side by open field and the other by Frontenac, which I now understand is not a good source of pollen for them. I understand that Swenson Red or LaCrosse will help a great deal. I plan to get cuttings of Swenson Red and put a row next to them. I have not been able to locate any LaCrosse. Cheers Jerry
Here's an update on sourcing some of the varieties mentioned in this thread. St. Lawrence Nursery, located in New York state, has a variety of hardy cultivars: http://www.sln.potsdam.ny.us/grapes.html
