Rows of cold-tolerant grapes planted at Tulelake in May are in for a three-year test of survival. Jim Wolpert, the UC extension viticulturalist, presides over a winegrape trial in the frost-prone Klamath Basin. Researchers wait for a tough winter Tam Moore Capital Press Staff Writer September 22, 2006 TULELAKE, Calif. - Talk about northern exposure. A winegrape vineyard has sprouted on a triangular part of the University of California agricultural research center, a wind-swept bit of former lakebed that sometimes sees subzero temperatures. "If we can make it here, we are going to learn a lot," said Jim Wolpert, the UC extension viticulturalist running the experiment in cooperation with Dan Marcum, a UC farm advisor based in MacArthur, another high- elevation valley in far Northern California. It's got to be the farthest north vineyard in California, less than 1 mile from the state line. But Wolpert is quick to point out that winegrapes grow successfully in cold places. Flathead Lake in Montana, upstate New York, Minnesota and Eastern Washington's Columbia Basin all have grape culture information Wolpert and Marcum will draw on to arrive at varieties that might have commercial success in the Klamath Basin shared by California and Oregon. The initial planting of Frontenac, established in early May, will be followed in 2007 by other long-season and short-season varieties that are part of national testing for cold and very cold climates. They include Chambourcin, Vidal blanc and St. Croix. In addition, the Tulelake vineyard will have 24 plants each of Traminette and Chardonel. Traminette is a Cornell University cross based on Gewurztraminer. Chardonel, also known as Geneva White, is a long-season grape out of Cornell, based on a 1953 Chardonnay cross. It's rated as "moderately" winter hardy. Wolpert doesn't expect fruit yields until 2010. The experiment calls for measuring growth each year while stripping fruit to maximize growth. The critical question is what culture encourages the movement of sugars to the roots for successful winter hardiness. "There is no prescription here, you've got to learn from the grape vine," said Wolpert. If all goes well, by 2013 you should be able to ask for a sample of the cool-climate wines. Wine quality evaluation work is scheduled to begin the year before. The really big question, how the six cultivars do in prolonged subzero weather, may not be answered for years. Average lows for the basin are around 20 F. Wolpert says the Washington State University experience in testing cold tolerance of Columbia Basin winegrapes is that the real cold spells come once every seven to 10 years. Tam Moore is based in Medford, Ore. His e-mail address is tmoore@capitalpress.com.