As a follow up to Saturday’s post on Virginia’s top vinifera, it seems appropriate to post a list of Virginia’s top hybrids to provide additional context and details on two hybrids that will likely play an important role in Virginia wine in the coming years.
According to 2008 Virginia wine production statistics, top ‘hybrids’ in terms of production:
- Vidal Blanc (497 tons produced) A mere 5% growth over 2007 production
- Chambourcin (225 tons produced) 29% growth over 2007 production
- Traminette (220 tons produced) A whoppin’ 42% year-over-year production growth
I get the large amount of Vidal Blanc production – for the most part vidal produces ‘crowd pleasers.’ Here in Virginia the grape can (does) reach high sugar levels while maintaining respectable acid levels. I get that. However, I just don’t get the growth of Chambourcin or Traminette production here in Virginia.
Though I am not a fan of either Traminette or Chambourcin, the best example of Chambourcin that I’ve had is the Hume Vineyards 2009 Chambourcin. My friends at Swirl, Sip, Snark blog are avid Chambourcin fans so I’m hoping they will bring their favorite
When the 2009 Virginia grape production statistics are released, it will be interesting to see if the growth rates of both Chambourcin and Traminette continue.
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Drink What YOU Like 
Okay Frank – clearly you’re not a fan of hybrids…of course cab sauv is a hybrid of cab franc and sauv blanc, so…
Anyway…I don’t have a problem with these hybrids. I do like chambourcin. Not that everyone is doing great things with it, but some people do – the same can be said of cab franc, pinot noir, gamay (a favorite of yours), etc. Traminette is one that’s grown on me. I’m always excited to try one, but I have really diverse reactions to it. I tend not the like the sweeter traminette offerings, and I don’t like the ones that are so floral it’s like drinking grandma’s perfume, but there have been some with that really distinctly floral traminette nose and some nice spice on the palate that just grab me and make me want to sip more.
I’m always up for trying something new. I don’t mind liking a grape few others do, and I also don’t mind hating a grape many others love – we still have plenty of room for diversity and experimentation here in VA.
VWD/Derek/GEG: Thanks for stopping by to comment – I appreciate your thoughts on this subject. I wouldn’t say I’m not a fan of all hybrids, I would say ‘most hybrids.’ My tastes do seem to change (evolve?) so perhaps there is a chance I’ll eventually be a Chambourcin or Tram evangelist. I think I’m going to hold out for Scuppernog to make a comeback!
GEG: Ninjas, Ferris Wheels, Oompa Loompas… and now a Viagara hybrid grape… where does these mad creative skills come from? 🙂
I like Traminette a lot, probably because I grew up and into wine with Gerwurztraminer from my friends at McGregor Winery in Keuka Lake NY. Love the spice and the flowery nose. Tram was hybridized from Joannes Seyve 23.416 and Gerwurz. It has great honeysuckle in the nose and can be crafted into a sweeter wine. We make our “Sunset” based on this hybrid. It is a blend that comes in around 2.5% residual sugar. This is a fun sipping wine that many people enjoy, as shown by sales… so we keep making more and more of it.
Interestingly, we chose to make Chambourcin into our sweet red as an expirement at first. Our “Imagine” sells like crazy too, so we make more and more of it.
We mostly produce dry, a couple semi-dry, wines. I mention this so I don’t pigeon holed as a sweet wine winery ; )
Cheers,
Derek
Frank, Frank, Frank… five years from now, we’ll be able to say “yeah, we liked Chambourcin before it went pop.” And you won’t! Sad Christmas.
Anyhow, Hume is def doing a nice Chambourcin. Old House Vineyards’ Port-style dessert wine is another good use of the grape. It’s a grape that apparently grows really well, because we discovered that everyone had it during our I-81 trip. Not everyone was rocking it, but that’s wine.
I just want someone to hybridize Vidal Blanc and Niagara and call it Viagara. It would HAVE to be sold in blue bottles, though.