Dr. Soon Li Teh, who received his PhD from UMN in 2018, has returned to Minnesota to serve as our newest Assistant Professor of Grape Breeding and Enology. In his new role he will continue the important work of developing high quality, cold-hardy grape cultivars for the wine and table grape industries.

Almost 90 visitors arrived bright and early to the Horticultural Research Center on September 9th for the Annual Grape Extension Field Day. Over a dozen researchers and staff were there to answer questions about ongoing grape projects at the UMN, including research into smoke contamination, invasive insect pressure, grape trunk diseases, and table grape breeding. 

The International Cold Climate Wine Competition was held on August 16th, and the winners of 15 different classes have been announced, in addition to the Bests of Show and Winery of the Year! Read on to discover the full list of category and medal winners. 

The Annual Grape Field Day will highlight the latest in cold-hardy grapes on Sept. 9, 2023. The Field Day will showcase research in cold-hardy cultivars, pest and disease management and winemaking best practices, as well as offering tastes of 50 varieties of grapes! 

UMN's latest winegrape release, Clarion, has a brand new fact sheet that includes more complete information about everything from fruit characteristics, to harvest parameters, to pruning and canopy management. If you're interested in growing Clarion, the fact sheet is a great place to start.