Designing a Better Grape
Curious how a grape like Traminette is actually created? It starts with old-school hands-on work in the vineyard: carefully choosing parents, hand-pollinating flowers, collecting seeds, then spending years growing, tasting, and testing thousands of baby vines to find the one that delivers both beautiful flavor and real-world toughness—no GMOs, no shortcuts.
In this deep dive, we unpack the science behind modern hybrids using Traminette as our case study, including its Gewürztraminer heritage and why it thrives on our Virginia mountain ridge. You’ll see how thoughtful breeding and smart planting decisions help us handle humidity, disease pressure, and shifting seasons—while raising the bar on quality in every glass of Willowcroft wine.