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January 2018 WINES&VINES 157 WINE EAST GRAPEGROWING crown gall," another reason for planting on their own roots. Trials done at the NYSAES showed the vines to be moderately winter hardy, but on heavier soils, trunk injury oc- casionally occurred. Early growth trials also considered how the vine would deal with phylloxera. In Michigan, Dr. Stan Howell and others at Michigan State University grew vines grafted onto 3309 root- stock but found such vines "were overly vigor- ous, with low productivity, excessive winter damage and crown gall," according to NYSAES Bulletin 149. Reisch explained that even though Trami- nette is not totally resistant to phylloxera, in cool climates such as New York and Michigan, own-rooted stock seems to be a better choice. "We have learned that grafted rootstocks can easily transmit crown gall," he said. Yet in warmer climates, planting on grafted root- stocks might be more successful. Trials also showed the cultivar to be moderately resistant to powdery mildew, Botrytis bunch rot and black rot. The foliage can be affected by downy mildew, but standard commercial spraying can control this issue. In New York, Traminette usually ripens during the first two weeks of October. Cornell trials showed higher sugars and lower pH than with fellow hybrid Cayuga White; they also found the variety did not quickly lose acidity as it reached ripening. "Growers would prob- ably say that it is not overly productive but produces a sufficient crop to be economically viable, something in the 4-5 ton per acre range," Reisch said. He also noted that if the vines are moderate in size, they can be planted more closely with 6-foot spacing to fully uti- lize the vineyard site. "I would say in New York you might want to go with closer spacing, but this might not apply in warmer climates, where phylloxera is more prevalent, or in Michigan where the soil is more prairie-like and fertile," Reisch said. On to Indiana In 2010, Bordelon, a viticulture professor in the Department of Horticulture and Landscape Architecture at Purdue University, wrote Tra- minette Vineyard Management, which was pub- lished as Purdue Extension Bulletin FS-60-W, a part of the university's Commercial Winemak- ing Production Series. Information from that publication is included here. In 1992, Bordelon began trials with Trami- nette in three Indiana locations and also worked with commercial growers. He is still monitoring some of the trials in Lafayette, Ind., and has compiled almost 25 years of data. "Originally it was designed to see how (Trami- nette) would perform in different parts of the state," Bordelon said. He explained that after about 10 years, Traminette's cold-hardiness and growth patterns had been basically identi- fied, yet would be challenged by severe winters yet to come. In Indiana, this cultivar offers both better winter hardiness and greater tolerance for dis- eases than its vinifera parent. Normal winter low temperatures in the state do not cause much bud damage, and even with a severe low of -18° F at Lafayette in 2009, vines still aver- aged 50% live primary buds. By comparison, the same conditions resulted in only 10% live buds in Vidal. Following extreme cold expo- sure, "We make an adjustment in pruning se- verity," Bordelon said, leaving more buds to improve sufficient shoot viability. Another posi- tive is Traminette buds out an average of two weeks later than early budding cultivars such as Marechal Foch and Marquette, which helps to avoid possible spring frost damage. Trials have shown that, when planted on their own roots, the vines have relatively high vigor in a wide range of soil types in the state. However, deep, fertile and well-drained soils can produce excess vigor, leading to fruit shad- ing in the canopy and resulting in lower fruit quality. Bordelon noted that the proper devel- opment of Traminette's monoterpenes, the aromatic compounds, depends upon good ex- posure to sunlight. If the fruit is grown in heavier shade, the monoterpene content can be cut in half. The right training system for Traminette depends on vineyard site characteristics. For sites with low to moderate vigor, Purdue's re- search showed that mid-wire cordon or cane training works best, combined with vertical shoot positioning (VSP) for easier leaf removal and improved sunlight exposure on the fruit. The cultivar's upright shoot growth works well with VSP but can allow increased vegetative vigor depending on the soil. Bordelon suggests beginning the first leaf removal only three to four weeks after fruit set, allowing the new fruit to gain a tougher cuticle by sun exposure earlier in the growing season. As growth con- tinues, lateral shoots can develop in the cluster zone, necessitating additional leaf removal. However, only "touch-up" removal should be done post-véraison. High-vigor sites with richer soil types, as found in the Midwest, can be best served by employing a standard high-cordon system. This will position the shoots downward, reducing their vigor. This system often requires more canopy management to allow for good fruit exposure. These high-vigor sites can be man- aged by using divided canopy training, such as Geneva Double Curtain or vertically divided Scott Henry or Smart-Dyson systems. In addition to the proper training system, canopy management is very important for fruit BUDS SURVIVE -15° F BETTER THAN GEWÜRZTRAMINER AND CONCORD T raminette is hardier than Gewürztraminer, with 63% bud survival measured in January 1981, following the extreme cold experienced in December 1980, when area tempera- tures plunged to -20° F, killing much of the vinifera planted in the Finger Lakes, as well as the hybrid Cayuga White. In January 1987, differential thermal analysis determined the temperature at which 50% of the primary buds were killed (LT50) was -15.3° F for Traminette, compared with -10.7° F for Chardonel, and -13.9° F for Concord. Such cold, however, proved Traminette to be sus- ceptible to damage from trunk splitting and some crown gall disease. Early Cornell studies showed that Traminette fared better than Riesling for viability and didn't suffer any dead vines over an eight-year period, while Riesling had more than 50% mortality. Studies on cold hardiness continue today at Cornell, and Reisch noted that "the modern tools in genetics make it doable now, much more than in the 1980s." KEY POINTS The aromatic white wine grape Traminette was the result of a cross between Joannes Seyve 23.416 and Gewürztraminer that was made by Herb C. Barrett at the University of Illinois in about 1965. Barrett sent seeds of the cross to Cornell University, and Dr. Bruce Reisch has been in charge of testing the variety in the Cornell research vineyards for cold tolerance, disease resistance and fruit and wine quality since 1980. Traminette was named by Cornell in 1996, after it proved to be more winter-hardy than its vinifera parent. Trials showed that compared to Cayuga White (another hybrid bred at Cornell), the vari- ety had higher sugars, lower pH and didn't lose acidity quickly as it ripened. Dr. Bruce Bordelon started trials of Traminette at Purdue University In 1992. The research team in Indiana also found that the variety had greater winter hardiness and more tolerance of diseases than Gewürztraminer. A relatively high-vigor grape, Traminette buds out about two weeks later than some of the other hybrid grapes such as Maréchal Foch and Marquette.