T.P.2-3-51-Tough berries resist splits and rots; soft, phenolic wines.

T.P. 2-3-51

T.P. 2-3-51 Grape

Seedling from a 2001 cross of E.S. 10-18-06 x Regent
Available for testing, with Plocher-Vines permission

In the Vineyard
Starts to suffer some bud injury in Hugo, MN at temperatures colder than -20 F (-29C); suitable for U.S. Hardiness Zone 5 or milder.

Late budbreak in spring, a few days before Petite Pearl. Secondary buds are fruitful.

Thick-skinned berries resist splitting, rots, and insect predation.

Moderate vigor and vertical growth habit with thick shoots and few laterals. Easy to manage.

A good choice for the mid-Atlantic and Mid-South regions that require grapevines with high disease resistance and resistance to splitting.

Disease Resistance
Good resistance to all the mildew diseases using a basic spray program of two pre-bloom and two post-bloom sprays. T.P. 2-3-51 also has shown good resistance also to Phomposis and berry rots.

Training System
With its thick vertical-growing shoots, T.P. 2-3-51 is naturally well-suited to VSP training. Low maintenance.

The Fruit

Berries are 2.5g and have extremely thick skins. Pyramidal, slightly loose cluster, 147 to 269 g (ave. 194 g); cluster thinning is essential to prevent over-cropping.
Ripens mid-September at Hugo, MN in 2386-2600 DDF, a few days later than T.P. 1-1-12; seven days earlier than Crimson Pearl; Good harvest parameters: 20-24 Brix, pH = 3.5, TA < 0.8%.

In the Winery

Juice color is Strong Red; great depth of color.
The thick skins are loaded with polyphenols. Combining the results from two seasons of skin tannin content tests at NDSU (2012 and 2013), T.P. 2-3-51 ranked first out of 20 cold tolerant grape varieties.
Test wines have been soft and phenolic, with good structure, balance, and finish, and flavors of blackberry, plum, and dried fruit. Good potential for aging.