Specialty Crop

A grapevine cultivar evaluation was established in 2013 at the Sheridan Research and Extension Center (ShREC) to evaluate table, wine, and juice grape cultivars for cold-hardiness, yield, and fruit quality under a short growing season. The study, which concluded in 2023, revealed that Frontenac, Frontenac Gris, Osceola Muscat, Brianna, and Edelweiss were the highest yielding cultivars, producing about 8 to 9 pounds yield per vine.

Most Vitis labrusca hybrids, such as Elvira, Concord, Ive, and Fredonia, are extremely late-maturing and ripening for the Sheridan area and not suitable for production due to the risk of the crop being lost to an early fall freeze.