Diamond:  This white grape, with characteristics similar to Niagra and Concord, is made into its own sweet to semi-sweet varietal wine at Berryville.  It used to sell out at our annual Harvestfest, but as our production of this variety is growing it is becoming more available.  This variety is a favorite of the vineyard's wildlife.

Leon Millot:  This variety does not grow well in this part of the state.   So, we no longer grow this variety, but it was once a part of our Harvest Heart wine.

Marechel Foch:  No longer grown at Berryville due to inadequate climate conditions, this red variety was also blended in to our Harvest Heart.

Melody:  We only have 1 row of this variety and in most years we've found it's vigor in the vineyard exceeds its quality in the winery.

NY73:  With just a few plants, wine quality seems to far surpass its ability to survive in the vineyard.

Rougeon:  We use this vigorous red grape variety to blend complexity into our red wines.

Seyval:  A decent white grape variety, limited quantities are blended into different wines.

St. Vincent:  The fattest trunks in our vineyard.  Quite variable in production and is used in a variety of ways.

Traminette:  This white grape, often giving floral characteristics to the nose and palate, makes a nice varietal wine in its best years and is blended in the others.

When many people think of wine, they think of Merlot, Chardonnay, White Zinfandel, Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinot Grigio.  These are all varieties of grapes mainly grown in California or overseas.  There are other varieties that are better suited for our climatic conditions.  Here in the Midwest, we grow Native American and French-Hybrid varieties.  The following are grown at Berryville Vineyards.

1910 N Prairieton Rd

Claremont, IL  62421

(618) 456-2335

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Vignoles:  Our finest white grape is made into a few styles of varietal wines at Berryville and is the backbone of our famous White Squirrel.

We also grow a few varieties of seedless table grapes, not listed above, just for snacking.

Vidal:  Now our highest yielding white grape variety, this grape is used for blending as well as being used by itself such as in the Sunlight.

DeChaunac:  An early budder at Berryville, that has twice budded out and froze off due to late spring frost, while most of our other varieties stayed dormant.  Too acidic to be used in our dry wines, but utilized in our Red Top and Sweet Red.

Aurora:  We have just a few plants of this white grape variety.  It is our first variety to ripen and gets the crush started every fall.  We blend this variety to add complexity to our whites.

Cayuga White:  With just a few plants, we generally co-ferment this in with our Diamond as it has relatively neutral sensory attributes.

Chambourcin:  Once widely planted across France, we use this grape in a versatile manner depending upon the growing season.  Some years it's blended with our Cynthiana grape for a dry red wine.  Other years it ends up in our Sweet Red Wine.

Chardonel:  In the best years, we use this variety to make a fruity, dry, varietal, vintage wine.

Cynthiana/Norton:  This grape requires lots of care in the vineyard, but rewards us with wine of the utmost strength and longevity.  It is the backbone for our dry reds.  It is also one of the components of our semi-sweet Red Top.