(NPR) - A dozen universities are collaborating on a sort of extreme winemaking project: How cold a climate can a grape survive and still make good wine? The Northern Grapes Project is inventing wines the world has never seen before, winning wine awards and creating a new crop for struggling rural economies.

Minnesota. Vermont. South Dakota. OK. These are not states people normally associate with fantastic wine - or wine at all, for that matter. Grapes didn't always ripen in the state's short growing season. And even when they did, the grapes were better suited for jelly and juice. Their musty taste left little to really desire in a glass of wine.

But all of that might be changing. Researchers are breeding grapes that can survive frigid, cold temperatures and make delicious wine. They're hoping names like Frontenac and Marquette will role off wine enthusiast's tongues just the way Cabernet and Merlot do today.