New grapes take root in Flathead Valley

The roots of twelve experimental grape varieties touched down in Montana soil last Thursday off West Reserve Street in Kalispell.

Roger Olson, who already grows 2,000 Marquett grape vines on his property, agreed to plant the experimental grapes because he thought it would be neat to see if other varieties of grapes could grow well in Montana.

“If I can get this going then there will be many more people in the valley (growing grapes),” Olson said.

It was the first of four test plots that will be planted in Western Montana. The grapes will also be planted on properties in Yellow Bay, Ronan and Plains for the Montana State University Extension in Kalispell to monitor.

Extension agent in charge of agriculture, natural resource and community development Pat McGlynn said the purpose of the project is to find grapes that will not only grow to their full potential in Montana, but also to see how fast those grapes grow and how much fruit they produce.

“We don’t know what grapes will be the best for our area,” McGlynn said “These have as short of a growing season as we can possibly get.”

While many varieties of grapes can grow in Montana, the fruit doesn’t necessarily ripen completely because of the short growing season. The vines can also be killed easily by bouts of negative 30 degree days in the winter.

The Marquett grape has become one of the more successful varieties to grow in Montana because it can handle the cold winters, short growing season and the occasional growing season frost.

With the experimental grape varieties, McGlynn is looking for a few other grapes that can ripen with the length of the Montana growing season and can handle the harsh winters.

The experimental grapes are hybridized versions of popular European grape varieties, such as chardonnay and cabernet sauvignon, created at the University of Minnesota and Cornell University.

Designed with a short growing season in mind, these grapes can handle temperatures down to 40 below for up to three weeks when the plants are at the height of dormancy. They also require less growing-degree days, which means they don’t need as many warm temperature days to grow as European varieties of grapes.

McGlynn received a $29,000 grant from the Montana Department of Agriculture for the first two years of the project. It will take three years for the vines to bear fruit, and by that time a research cooperative of 17 northwestern universities will have completed $2.5 million worth of work to determine what kinds of wines these varieties make.

“That research is going on now, so what’s great is that when our grapes are ready to go, that research will be done,” McGlynn said.

If the varieties can be successful growing in Montana, the state’s winemakers would have the ability to produce wines with all Montana-grown grapes. That’s something McGlynn said winemakers can’t do now because the state doesn’t produce enough grapes.

It could also give cherry growers along Flathead Lake an additional product for their land to produce. That’s one of the reasons Cody Herring, who owns Glacier Fresh Cherries out of Yellow Bay, wanted to participate in the project.

“I think it’s like a why not,” Herring said. “I’m really, just interested.”

McGlynn thinks along the lake is a great spot to grow the grapes because it has a different climate than other parts of the state. The lake climate is warmer and can protect the area around it from random frosts.

Herring is planting the grapes just below his house in a spot that isn’t ideal for growing cherries.

“It could be an add-on for cherry growers,” McGlynn said. “People may want to plant other things to use their land more efficiently.”