News
5 January, 2019. Crimson Pearl patent awarded.
20 December, 2017. Tom's article about breeding grapes to meet the challenges of climate change in the Midwest.
Wisconsin FRESH magazine. Volume 9, Issue 3.
plocher_2017_wi_fresh.pdf
10 December, 2017. Wines and Vines article about large-scale organic production trial with Verona.
www.winesandvines.com/news/article/193103/Can-Organic-Grapes-Grow-in-Pennsylvania
13 September, 2017. Minneapolis Star and Tribune feature article about Tom's grape breeding work.
www.startribune.com/a-serious-wine-industry-in-minnesota-you-betcha/444228703/
31 March, 2017. Tom's presentation to the Third Annual Conference of the Montana Grape and Winery Association. Download slides
23 January, 2017. Tom honored by the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association with the 2016 Wisconsin Wine Industry Award.
11-14 November, 2015. Tom's two posters presented at VitiNord 2015 in Nebraska City, NE.
Poster 1 on Measuring Vine Canopy Density with 3D imaging. tom_vitinord_2015_3d_imaging_poster.pdf
Poster 2 on Breeding a New Generation of Cold Hardy Grapevines. tom_vitinord_2015_breeding_poster.pdf
13 June, 2015. Tom's presentation to the First Annual Conference of the Montana Grape and Winery Association. Download slides
13 March, 2015. 'Crimson Pearl' was chosen as the name for seedling selection TP 2-1-17. This name was the overwhelming choice of wine enthusiasts in the poll taken on Facebook by Carlos Creek Winery.
12 March, 2015 Vineyard and Winery Management magazine feature.
Check out interviews with grape breeders Tom Plocher, John Stenger (NDSU), Mark Hart, and Peter Hemstad in a very balanced and nuanced article about northern grape breeding titled, "Advances in Cold Hardy Wine Grapes" by Mark Ganchiff and Danny Wood
http://www.vwmmedia.com/magazine/current_issue.asp
13 January, 2015 Two new varieties to be named in 2015!
T.P. 2-1-17 and T.P. 1-1-34 soon will be named and released for propagation and sale. Names have not been selected yet. Suggestions are welcome. Vines will be available in limited quantities in 2016 and generally available in 2017. If you have ideas for names, please check out Carlos Creek Winery's Facebook page and submit your ideas for names!
http://midwestwinepress.com/2015/01/21/carlos-creek-help-name-new-grape/
T.P. 2-1-17 It is a sister of Petite Pearl. Of all my selections, it has proven to be the most adaptable north of the Twin Cities and in difficult parts of otherwise good sites. Hardiness, relatively late budbreak, and mid-season ripening all contribute to its adaptability. The vine starts to harden off its shoots in mid-August and, by the time the fruit is ripe, is fully hardened off to the tips. Its wine will appeal to wine drinkers who prefer a soft and fruity dry red wine. It also produces fruity and highly aromatic rose wines. The grape has an excellent natural balance between sugar, acidity, tannin, and fruitiness, allowing the winemaker to concentrate on varietal expression, rather than acid or alcohol manipulation.
T.P. 1-1-34 is from a 1997 cross of Troubador x E.S. 5-4-16. Over many years, it has produced the best quality wine of any of my selections, surpassing even Petite Pearl in blind tastings. Red wines from T.P. 1-1-34 are deeply colored with abundant soft tannins in the middle mouth and finish. They have a good balance between acid, tannin, and alcohol. Aroma is complex, raspberry with hints of chocolate. Rose wines from T.P. 1-1-34 are garnet in color, with cherry aroma, full-bodied, lush vinifera-like fruit, good balance and finish. Vines of T.P. 1-1-34 have not been as reliably hardy in Hugo, MN and other Zone 4a test sites as Petite Pearl or T.P. 2-1-17. It also ripens rather late. Thus, it is recommended for planting only south of the Twin Cities on good sites in Zones 4b or anywhere in Zone 5. In these milder areas, it has the potential to be very productive, having a large cluster, good vigor, and late budbreak in the spring.
13 January, 2015 Tom Plocher and Mark Hart discuss emerging cold climate varieties for wine. Check out this Northern Grapes Project Webinar at http://northerngrapesproject.org/ or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovdMHRh0Z8A&feature=youtu.be
Slides available at http://northerngrapesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/NGP-Webinar-Plocher-and-Hart-Jan-2015.pdf
23 December, 2014 Today, the TTB officially placed Petite Pearl on the approved list of grape varieties for American wines. Now it can be used as a varietal name on wine labels.
http://northerngrapesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/NGP-Webinar-Plocher-and-Hart-Jan-2015.pdf
5 November, 2014 “Tom Plocher Talks About the Chinese Wine Industry”
Article by Sara Shen in China Wine Online (hint: open this in Google Chrome and hit Translate to English)
http://www.winechina.com/html/2014/11/201411269465.html
3 September, 2014 “North Dakota Wine Industry Aging Well”
Article by Ron Smith in The Fargo Forum
http://www.ndgwa.org/in-the-news/local-wines-get-rave-reviews/
August, 2014 “Petite Pearl in China?”
27 June, 2014 Petite Pearl Wine by Parallel 44 Winery Awarded Double Gold and Best of Class at Wisconsin State Fair Commercial Competition.
18 June, 2014 Petite Pearl Wine by Ed Strenski Wins Double Gold at the Illinois State Fair Amateur Competition.
3 May, 2014 “Should New Hybrid Grapes be More Old World?”
Article by Mark Ganchiff in Midwest Wine Press
http://midwestwinepress.com/2014/05/03/hybrid-wine-grapes-new/
1 March, 2014 “Game Changer Grape is a Little Pearl”
Article by Piero Spada in Midwest Wine Press
http://midwestwinepress.com/2014/03/01/petite-pearl-grape-wine-2/
20 December, 2017. Tom's article about breeding grapes to meet the challenges of climate change in the Midwest.
Wisconsin FRESH magazine. Volume 9, Issue 3.
plocher_2017_wi_fresh.pdf
10 December, 2017. Wines and Vines article about large-scale organic production trial with Verona.
www.winesandvines.com/news/article/193103/Can-Organic-Grapes-Grow-in-Pennsylvania
13 September, 2017. Minneapolis Star and Tribune feature article about Tom's grape breeding work.
www.startribune.com/a-serious-wine-industry-in-minnesota-you-betcha/444228703/
31 March, 2017. Tom's presentation to the Third Annual Conference of the Montana Grape and Winery Association. Download slides
23 January, 2017. Tom honored by the Wisconsin Grape Growers Association with the 2016 Wisconsin Wine Industry Award.
11-14 November, 2015. Tom's two posters presented at VitiNord 2015 in Nebraska City, NE.
Poster 1 on Measuring Vine Canopy Density with 3D imaging. tom_vitinord_2015_3d_imaging_poster.pdf
Poster 2 on Breeding a New Generation of Cold Hardy Grapevines. tom_vitinord_2015_breeding_poster.pdf
13 June, 2015. Tom's presentation to the First Annual Conference of the Montana Grape and Winery Association. Download slides
13 March, 2015. 'Crimson Pearl' was chosen as the name for seedling selection TP 2-1-17. This name was the overwhelming choice of wine enthusiasts in the poll taken on Facebook by Carlos Creek Winery.
12 March, 2015 Vineyard and Winery Management magazine feature.
Check out interviews with grape breeders Tom Plocher, John Stenger (NDSU), Mark Hart, and Peter Hemstad in a very balanced and nuanced article about northern grape breeding titled, "Advances in Cold Hardy Wine Grapes" by Mark Ganchiff and Danny Wood
http://www.vwmmedia.com/magazine/current_issue.asp
13 January, 2015 Two new varieties to be named in 2015!
T.P. 2-1-17 and T.P. 1-1-34 soon will be named and released for propagation and sale. Names have not been selected yet. Suggestions are welcome. Vines will be available in limited quantities in 2016 and generally available in 2017. If you have ideas for names, please check out Carlos Creek Winery's Facebook page and submit your ideas for names!
http://midwestwinepress.com/2015/01/21/carlos-creek-help-name-new-grape/
T.P. 2-1-17 It is a sister of Petite Pearl. Of all my selections, it has proven to be the most adaptable north of the Twin Cities and in difficult parts of otherwise good sites. Hardiness, relatively late budbreak, and mid-season ripening all contribute to its adaptability. The vine starts to harden off its shoots in mid-August and, by the time the fruit is ripe, is fully hardened off to the tips. Its wine will appeal to wine drinkers who prefer a soft and fruity dry red wine. It also produces fruity and highly aromatic rose wines. The grape has an excellent natural balance between sugar, acidity, tannin, and fruitiness, allowing the winemaker to concentrate on varietal expression, rather than acid or alcohol manipulation.
T.P. 1-1-34 is from a 1997 cross of Troubador x E.S. 5-4-16. Over many years, it has produced the best quality wine of any of my selections, surpassing even Petite Pearl in blind tastings. Red wines from T.P. 1-1-34 are deeply colored with abundant soft tannins in the middle mouth and finish. They have a good balance between acid, tannin, and alcohol. Aroma is complex, raspberry with hints of chocolate. Rose wines from T.P. 1-1-34 are garnet in color, with cherry aroma, full-bodied, lush vinifera-like fruit, good balance and finish. Vines of T.P. 1-1-34 have not been as reliably hardy in Hugo, MN and other Zone 4a test sites as Petite Pearl or T.P. 2-1-17. It also ripens rather late. Thus, it is recommended for planting only south of the Twin Cities on good sites in Zones 4b or anywhere in Zone 5. In these milder areas, it has the potential to be very productive, having a large cluster, good vigor, and late budbreak in the spring.
13 January, 2015 Tom Plocher and Mark Hart discuss emerging cold climate varieties for wine. Check out this Northern Grapes Project Webinar at http://northerngrapesproject.org/ or https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ovdMHRh0Z8A&feature=youtu.be
Slides available at http://northerngrapesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/NGP-Webinar-Plocher-and-Hart-Jan-2015.pdf
23 December, 2014 Today, the TTB officially placed Petite Pearl on the approved list of grape varieties for American wines. Now it can be used as a varietal name on wine labels.
http://northerngrapesproject.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/01/NGP-Webinar-Plocher-and-Hart-Jan-2015.pdf
5 November, 2014 “Tom Plocher Talks About the Chinese Wine Industry”
Article by Sara Shen in China Wine Online (hint: open this in Google Chrome and hit Translate to English)
http://www.winechina.com/html/2014/11/201411269465.html
3 September, 2014 “North Dakota Wine Industry Aging Well”
Article by Ron Smith in The Fargo Forum
http://www.ndgwa.org/in-the-news/local-wines-get-rave-reviews/
August, 2014 “Petite Pearl in China?”
27 June, 2014 Petite Pearl Wine by Parallel 44 Winery Awarded Double Gold and Best of Class at Wisconsin State Fair Commercial Competition.
18 June, 2014 Petite Pearl Wine by Ed Strenski Wins Double Gold at the Illinois State Fair Amateur Competition.
3 May, 2014 “Should New Hybrid Grapes be More Old World?”
Article by Mark Ganchiff in Midwest Wine Press
http://midwestwinepress.com/2014/05/03/hybrid-wine-grapes-new/
1 March, 2014 “Game Changer Grape is a Little Pearl”
Article by Piero Spada in Midwest Wine Press
http://midwestwinepress.com/2014/03/01/petite-pearl-grape-wine-2/