Marquette

Marquette is the red grape most likely to be the best dry red on a tasting-room menu anywhere winter gets brutal. Bred by the University of Minnesota and released in 2006, it survives winters down to around -36°F, yet it tastes far more like a European red than most cold-hardy grapes do. Part of the reason is its family tree: one of its parents, Ravat 262, is a seedling of Pinot Noir.

What It Tastes Like

Expect a medium-bodied red with tart cherry, blackberry and plum, a streak of black pepper, and a savory, slightly herbal edge. Marquette ripens with plenty of sugar and keeps its acidity, so the best bottles taste lively rather than heavy. Tannins are moderate. Winemakers who give it time in oak often get a wine with cedar, vanilla and spice that could pass for a cool-climate Pinot Noir and Syrah blend in a blind tasting.

Where It Grows

Marquette is planted across the northern tier of the country: Minnesota, Wisconsin, Iowa, the Dakotas, Nebraska, Vermont, northern New York and Michigan. In Michigan it shows up in the Tip of the Mitt and around Traverse City, where growers use it as winter insurance alongside Pinot Noir and Cabernet Franc. Vermont and the Champlain Valley of New York have made it something of a signature red.

Growers like it because it holds up to deep cold and resists many common vine diseases. The catch is that it buds early in spring, so a late frost can do real damage.

What to Look For

• Dry, oak-aged Marquette is the style to try first, and the one wineries are proudest of.
• Marquette rosé is bright and berry-driven, a good summer pour.
• Port-style Marquette turns up at many Midwest wineries and makes good use of the grape's natural sugar.
• Blends often pair it with Frontenac or Petite Pearl.

Worth Knowing

The grape is named for Père Jacques Marquette, the 17th-century French missionary and explorer of the upper Mississippi. That is also where the Michigan city got its name, so on a Michigan menu the word can mean either one.