Grape Growing
Before we made wine at Dale Hollow Winery, we planted grapes. Grape growing is as rewarding as it is exhausting. But as we say in Missouri, it is worth the work. We grow 8 different varietals, over 3,000 vines covering nearly 10 acres.
Cayuga White
Large white grapes and clusters
Harvest mid to late August
Grapes best showcased as a light bodied wine like our LakeHouse with citric flavors, tending toward Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, or dry Riesling qualities.
Norton
Small, extremely dark grapes. State grape of Missouri
Predominantly used to make dry red wine, referred to as the “Cabernet of the Ozarks”
Harvest early to mid October
We use in standalone Norton, blended in the “Knockout”, and as the base for “Nightshade”
Vignoles
Small grapes and tight clusters
Harvest late Aug to early Sept
Grapes make fruit-forward wines from dry to sweet. Very important white grape for state of Missouri. We use in standalone Vignoles (semi-sweet), Blossom (sweet), and a small amount in LakeHouse (dry)
Birds love these grapes as much as we do.
St. Vincent
Medium sized grapes, loose clusters
Harvest mid to late September
Discovered in Missouri; versatile for wine making
We use in standalone St Vincent, “Kay-Sera” dry rosé , “Knockout'“, and “Storybook Red”
Concord
Very large grapes and clusters.
Harvest early to mid September
Concord is native to America and shows superb vigor in our vineyard. It makes a full bodied, sweet and jammy wine. This sweet wine showcases fruit forward flavors.
Catawba
Large grapes and clusters
Harvest early to mid September
Grapes are native to America, grow dark pink on the vine, and we use it for a sweet blush wine.
Baco Noir
Very small grapes, extremely dark.
Harvest relatively early for red grape- August
Grape makes a soft, delightful red wine in similar style to a Pinot Noir. Between birds and winter injury to these vines, we do not get a harvest every year, making this extremely low availability year-to-year.
Chambourcin
Medium sized grapes and clusters
Harvest late Sept-early October
Grapes used for age-worthy dry red wines, can have wonderful cherry fruit forward flavors. We use in standalone Chambourcin and in “Knockout” blend