Wine Varieties


Red Wine Grape Varieties

Chambourcin (SHAM-bore-sin)

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Chambourcin (SHAM-bore-sin) 
Chambourcin has been available since 1963 and is one of the most widely planted hybrids in France. Fruity and earthy are characteristics common to this wine. Pair the wine with spaghetti and meat sauce, hamburgers, lasagna or pork. Chambourcin also makes a fantastic rosé that is paired perfectly with warm summer days.

Foch (FOE-sh)

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Foch (FOE-sh) 
Foch is one of the most popular red wine grapes grown in northern Indiana. Wine styles can range from fruity, light red table wines, to hearty, full-bodied reds.

Norton/Cynthiana (sin-thee-ana) 

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Norton/Cynthiana (sin-thee-ana) 
Norton is known for excellent wine quality. This grape produces an outstanding dry red wine that is meant to be paired with beef, bison or other meat dishes. Norton also makes an excellent fortified wine that is great for after dinner drinks.

Concord (Kahn-cord)

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Concord (Kahn-cord) 
This wine can best be described as a grape with a "grape-jelly" smell! Most commonly crafted into sweet wines, Concord-based wines remain some of the most popular wines produced in Indiana.

Catawba (ca-taw-ba)

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Catawba (ca-taw-ba)
A pink grape discovered by the Catawba River in North Carolina, Catawba is used in the production of pink and rose wines. Catawba produces a medium-bodied, sweet, fragrant, strawberry-like wine.

 

White Wine Grape Varieties

Seyval (SAY-vall)

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Seyval (SAY-vall)
Seyval is one of the most widely planted hybrid grapes east of the Rocky Mountains. The wine has attractive aromas of honeysuckle, grapefruit, melons, and fresh-cut grass. 

Vidal (vee-DAHL) Blanc 

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Vidal (vee-DAHL) Blanc 
A French-American hybrid used to make a dry to semi-dry, full-bodied wine with fruity characteristics, Vidal's clean citrus flavors of lemon and grapefruit create a nicely balanced wine.

Vignoles (vin-YOLES)

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Vignoles (vin-YOLES)
This wine produces excellent wines of many different styles. It is favored for dessert wines, but makes excellent wines in a wide range of styles. Vignoles produces a floral aroma along with citrus flavors to make this white wine and exceptional pairing with food or to enjoy by itself.

Traminette (tram-e-NET)

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Traminette (tram-e-NET)
Traminette was introduced as Indiana's Signatures Wine Grape in 2009 and has quickly become one of the most enjoyed wines in Indiana. Traminette resulted from a cross between Joannes Seyve 23.416 and Gewürztraminer. The wine shows pronounced floral (roses and jasmine) and spicy (nutmeg, black pepper, cloves and cinnamon) varietal characteristics similar to its Gewürztraminer parent.

Chardonel (SHAR-doh-nell)

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Chardonel (SHAR-doh-nell)
Chardonel is cross of Seyval and Chardonnay, and produces an excellent wine that resembles both of those grapes. Chardonel can be produced in stainless steel tanks or aged in oak barrels. The resulting wine will likely be dry and full-bodied and is sure to please everyone.

Cayuga White (kai-YU-guh wite)

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Cayuga White (kai-YU-guh wite)
Cayuga White is a versatile grape that can be made into a semisweet wine, which brings out the fruit aromas, or, into a dry, less fruit-driven wine using oak aging.