Variety Marquette

Marquette is a red-wine technical variety from the University of Minnesota (USA; Minnesota 1094 × Ravat Noir). The cross was made in 1989, the seedling was selected in 1994, and the patent was granted in 2006. It is named after Père Marquette, a 17th-century Jesuit missionary and explorer of North America. It ripens in the medium term. The cluster is small or medium, the berries are small, round, dark blue; sugar content is high, 26% on average, and acidity is above average (pH 2.9).

The wine is deep red, with aromas of cherry, black pepper and spices, sometimes blackberry, plum, tobacco and leather; the tannin structure is moderate. Table wines come out strong, about 14%, so it is advised to blend them with less sugary varieties; malolactic fermentation is used to reduce acidity, and aging in oak barrels adds complexity and structure. The shoots grow vertically, so fewer green operations are needed and the bush is better lit; there are usually two clusters per shoot. Yields are 80–100 centners per hectare. Resistance to downy mildew, powdery mildew and black rot is high (minimal fungicide treatments are needed in some years) and to the leaf form of phylloxera moderate. According to the source, the above-ground part of the bush withstands down to −38 °C; we state a more cautious −30 °C, and young bushes are better covered in the first winters.