Two new wine grapes from the University of Arkansas System Division of Agriculture offer novel commercial options that are adapted for growing in Arkansas vineyards.
Indulgence is a white wine grape that produces wines with a muscat flavor, said John Clark, Distinguished Professor of horticulture and fruit breeding for the Arkansas Agricultural Experiment Station, the research arm of the Division of Agriculture.
Renee Threlfall, research scientist in the division’s department of food science, said Indulgence produces wine with floral, fruity and herbal aromas.
Dazzle is a pink grape that produces a white Gerwürztraminer-type wine, Clark said. Threlfall added that it has a spicy aroma in addition to the floral, fruity and herbal aromas.
Indulgence and Dazzle expand options for commercial production in Arkansas and other areas with similar growing conditions. Threlfall said both grapes can produce single-varietal wines or can be blended with other wines to enhance their flavors or aromas.
Indulgence and Dazzle follow the rich, red Enchantment and the neutral white Opportunity, the first two wine grapes from the Division of Agriculture’s fruit breeding program.
At harvest, Indulgence averages 37 pounds per vine. Its muscat flavor is strong in the juice at crush, Threlfall said, and it was consistent in all years. Juice yield is one gallon for 13 pounds of fruit, and it averages 37 pounds of fruit per vine.
Technical information on Indulgence’s fruit and wine compounds and titratable acidity can be found online at http://aaes.uark.edu/IndulgenceSpecs.
Dazzle makes about a gallon of juice from 14 pounds of fruit, Threlfall said, and averaged about 22 pounds of fruit per vine.
Technical information on Dazzle’s fruit and wine compounds and titratable acidity can be found online at http://aaes.uark.edu/DazzleSpecs.
The average harvesting date for Dazzle is Aug. 15, Clark said. Indulgence ripens about Aug. 14. Both grapes have endured winter temperatures down to 1 degree Fahrenheit without damage to canes or buds, he said.
Dazzle and Indulgence are available for license to propagators. Interested parties should contact Cheryl Nimmo at 479-575-3953 or by email at [email protected] for license availability.
