CARPE TRAVEL WINE 101:
GET TO KNOW THE GRAPES

GETTING TO KNOW

La Crescent WINE

La Crescent is a light-skinned French-American hybrid that produces semi-sweet and off-dry wines that are balanced with some retained acidity. This aromatic white wine exhibits flavors of burnt sugar, caramel and green apple cider.

First introduced in 2002, by the University of Minnesota, La Crescent has a diverse ancestry. This complex hybrid of Vitis vinifera, Vitis riparia, Vitis labrusca creates a cold hardy cultivar but one that is also very disease resistant and can produce quality wines.

Rolling Hills Estate Winery, Champlain Valley of New York
Photo provided by Rolling Hills Estate Winery, Champlain Valley of New York

La Crescent is extremely versatile. We’ve been doing some fun experiments with how best to produce La Crescent. It’s been fabulously beautiful as more of an orange wine.

Dan Faber, Head Winemaker at Rolling Hills Estate Winery

WHERE TO FIND THE LA CRESCENT GRAPE

This cold-hardy grape is found in the northern United States – New York, Vermont, Minnesota and Michigan – and into Quebec, Canada.

LA CRESCENT Food Pairings

With profile flavors of nectar and aromas of caramel and crème brûlée, La Crescent pairs wonderfully with gnocchi and squash topped with Parmesan cheese. There is a quiet elegance in the crisp, clean texture of this wine.

Rolling Hills Estate Winery, Champlain Valley of New York
Photo provided by Rolling Hills Estate Winery

What are french-American hybrids?

French-American Hybrids are the crossing of the European Vitis vinifera species with one or more Native American Vitis species. Early on, many of these grapes were grafted – aka spliced together – in France.  The goal was to combine the superior traits of both vines to produce grapes with excellent wine quality that have a higher resistance to diseases and pests.

Research began on grafting Vitis vinifera species to American rootstock in the 1860’s to combat the phylloxera epidemic that nearly decimated wine regions around the world. Research continues today at the University of Minnesota and Cornell University in New York due to the rise in climate change. More on French American hybrids.

LA CRESCENT WINE RECOMMENDATIONS

Looking for recommendations on La Crescent wines? Here are a few we suggest.

La Crescent

Rolling Hills Estate Winery

La Crescent Wine

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