Esprit Grapes

Esprit (Edelweiss x Villard Blanc). From the late private breeder Elmer Swenson of Osceola, Wisconsin. With large, conical clusters of good size white grapes, this grape looks like a handsome table grape. Though pleasant to eat, it's main use is for white wine. Wine characteristics vary according to where and how it is grown. On the west coast the wine often has an odd, strong flavor when young, but that quickly ages out to leave a very good dry white wine. Just a little bit late to ripen well in the upper midwest without a hot summer, it has very good disease resistance and it inherits Villard Blanc's open, upright growth habit, which makes it easy to manage. Hardy to between -20 and -25 F, it can grow in a wide range of conditions. Prune it to three bud spurs on cordons.