(Wines&Vines) - Just in time for the holidays, a new sparkling wine from a new grape variety was released in Minnesota. Chankaska Creek Ranch and Winery unveiled its DewDrop Sparkling Marquette, Minnesota’s first sparkling wine made from Marquette. This variety is one of a number of cold-hardy cultivars developed at the University of Minnesota that can survive the sometimes artic-like winter conditions in the upper Midwest.

A cross between MN 1094 (a complex hybrid of V. riparia, V. vinifera and other Vitis species) and Ravat 262, one of Marquette’s grandparents is Pinot Noir. The variety was named in 2006, and as more vines are planted and come into production, winemakers are finding out exactly what styles of wine Marquette can be used to create. Most wineries in northern states are using Marquette to make dry red wines and occasionally a rosé. However, with its Pinot Noir heritage and high acid content, Marquette has potential to be an excellent choice for sparkling wine.

Josie Boyle, assistant winemaker and head of the sparkling wine program at Chankaska, specifically chose Marquette for those reasons. A total of 0.56 tons were picked Sept. 6, 2014, at 21.6° Brix and total acidity of 14.2 grams per liter (g/L). The wine was produced using traditional méthode champenoise techniques. It was inoculated with Lalvin C and VL1 yeast and fermented in neutral barrels. The secondary bottle fermentation was started using EC1118 yeast. Riddling was done by hand (a process that took about three weeks), and the wine was disgorged Nov. 21, 2015.

Boyle told Wines & Vines that the 2014 harvest was small because of incredibly cold weather the previous winter, and consequently there was a limited amount of Marquette for the sparkling wine. “Actually, that was nice,” Boyle commented, “because it was our first year of doing méthode champenoise and the smaller lot was easier to handle.”