Good Wine from Maine Grown Grapes: Is It Possible?

Growing grapes (viticulture) and making wine (viniculture) is an art older than recorded history. Beginning in the region now called Slovenia some 8,500 years ago, it spread over the millennia across Asia Minor into Greece and Rome. The religious, cultural, and practical contributions to both Western and near-Eastern civilization have been profound. Varieties of Vitus Vinifera grapes grow well in moderate climates like much of Europe and the types of wine we know today all have their origin there. But in colder climates such as the northern US, vinifera grapes do not survive very well. Hardy native wild grapes are found here, but most don’t make palatable wine. Breeders have been trying to develop cold-hardy hybrids, combining cold tolerant and vinifera varieties with some recent success. While I will cover this history, most of the presentation will be of my own trials growing these hybrids over 25 years in Cape Elizabeth. I have benefitted from much reading, many courses, visits to vineyards, and just the experience of many errors and mistakes. Making wine begins with good grapes, but northern hybrids also require new winery techniques as well as some chemistry, both of which I will also cover in this presentation. Good tasting, balanced red and white wines have become possible. We are now beginning to see the development of commercial wineries in the upper Midwest and New England. This avocation has proven to be a major ingredient in my retirement adjustment and emotional well-being…and besides, enjoying your own wine is its own reward!