Chateau Vineyards
While the harsh Wisconsin winters may not seem suitable for grape-growing, the climate and soil are surprisingly forgiving. In fact, grapes have been growing in the vineyards of Chateau St. Croix since 2004.
The vineyard is home to six varieties of hybrid cold hearty grapes: St. Croix, E.S. 6-16-30, Prairie Star, Sabrevois, Frontenac, Marquette and King of the North. The grapes have been delicately planted by hand on a 2 1/2-acre parcel of the 55-acre grounds of the Chateau St. Croix.
We proudly use cold hearty grapes grown in Minnesota and Wisconsin. That being said some grapes just don't want to grow here so we source them from the places they are best grown, mostly California, Washington State and Oregon.
Upon maturity, our crop should produce approximately 5 tons of grapes. As our winery grows, we hope to increase our vineyard to ten acres. We prune our vines several times a year and harvest the grapes in the Fall, usually September when the sugar and acid content is optimum for wine making. We then "cold soak" the grapes, crush and de-stem them and start fermentation.
As we value our precious environment, we have chosen an electricity-free fencing method to counter the bears and deer that could potentially harm our grapes. We have also used sheep to help mow the vineyard and ducks and turkeys to keep the bugs down.
The vineyard is home to six varieties of hybrid cold hearty grapes: St. Croix, E.S. 6-16-30, Prairie Star, Sabrevois, Frontenac, Marquette and King of the North. The grapes have been delicately planted by hand on a 2 1/2-acre parcel of the 55-acre grounds of the Chateau St. Croix.
We proudly use cold hearty grapes grown in Minnesota and Wisconsin. That being said some grapes just don't want to grow here so we source them from the places they are best grown, mostly California, Washington State and Oregon.
Upon maturity, our crop should produce approximately 5 tons of grapes. As our winery grows, we hope to increase our vineyard to ten acres. We prune our vines several times a year and harvest the grapes in the Fall, usually September when the sugar and acid content is optimum for wine making. We then "cold soak" the grapes, crush and de-stem them and start fermentation.
As we value our precious environment, we have chosen an electricity-free fencing method to counter the bears and deer that could potentially harm our grapes. We have also used sheep to help mow the vineyard and ducks and turkeys to keep the bugs down.
