St. Pepin
Michigan U-Pick Grapes
A White Wine Grape
Similar Varieties: Cayuga, Niagara, Seyval
Ripens Early September -- A hardy white grape with some Seyval heritage. Very fruity Germanic style white
Usage Notes -- Wine
St. Pepin makes a high-quality wine; one of the best whites that can be grown in Northern areas.
St. Pepin also makes a pleasing juice, unlike many wine grapes.
St. Pepin is a sister seedling of La Crosse.
Harvest Notes -
Click here for a ripening summary and grape prices for the whole vineyard .....
Variety Info -- St. Pepin is a modern hybrid variety of wine grape, mostly grown in North America. It produces grapes suitable for making fruity white wines similar to Riesling or as a base for blended wines. The grapes also make a good seeded table grape for eating. It has the benefits of early ripening and when hardened properly in the fall it is winter hardy to at least -25 F. As such it best suited to growing in more northern climates.
St. Pepin was produced and patented by Elmer Swenson circa 1970. It is a hybrid of the male Seyval blanc crossed to a seedling of Minnesota 78 by Seibel 1000 (aka Rosette). Unlike most modern grapes it is a pistillate female and so needs to be planted next to male vines from a close sibling variety to achieve pollination.
Where are the St. Pepin vines located in the vineyard?
- Rows 61 to 63
Each row has about 50 vines.
St. Pepin grows very good in our vineyard. The vine growth and the clusters are very "loose" and sometimes hard to see.
These rows are being converted to Geneva Double Curtain training to give them more room to grow.
Where can I Purchase St. Pepin Wine & Vines?
St Pepin is used in white blends at Garvin Heights Vineyard.
Please visit our Winery Locator Page to find wineries which make this kind of wine....