Shelburne Vineyard, Vermont (United States) Louise Swenson 2016

 Elmer Swenson was a legendary grape breeder who created dozens of cold-hardy grape varieties that could be grown for wine production in Minnesota and his native Wisconsin.  Many Swenson varieties are now grown in vineyard sites where traditional vitis vinifera grapes cannot survive.  Louise Swenson, a grape named for Elmer’s wife, is a complex hybrid that shows potential as a quality white wine grape.  The 2016 Vermont grown Louise Swenson from Shelburne Vineyard shows some of the grape’s potential.  This is a fresh, clean, crisp and dry white.  It shows hints of green apple and pear fruits along with grapefruit and subtle peach and floral tones.  It is light-bodied and would be a perfect, refreshing white to serve on a hot summer day with fresh seafood or picnic fare.  Stylistically, it lies somewhere between a fresh Muscadet and a crisp Sauvignon Blanc.  It’s a fine example of the quality one can find among perhaps unfamiliar cold-hardy grape varieties.