Our White Varieties

Chardonel

A late-ripening French/American hybrid variety, Chardonel can produce a high quality wine with varietal character. It is a cross of the popular French/American hybrid Seyval and the classic vitis vinifera Chardonnay. It is distinguished by its superior wine quality combined with high productivity and cold hardiness superior to its acclaimed parent Chardonnay. The vine is vigorous and productive, producing green grapes with large clusters. Owl Creek’s ChardonOwl is made from Chardonel.

Seyval Blanc

A French/American hybrid varietal that is famous for its resistance to cold. Seyval Blanc buds and ripens early and provides a good alternative in cool climates to grapes such as Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc that don't like the extreme cold. Crisp and dry versions have flavors and aromas of citrus fruits and a certain minerality that some compare to white Burgundies. Also takes well to oak and malolactic fermentation. Grown extensively in the Midwestern U.S., England and the cool Finger Lakes region of New York state. Owl Creek’s Seyval Blanc is 100% Shawnee Hills grapes.

Vignoles

It is grown widely in the northeastern United States and known for its high acidity and for being prone to noble rot. The berries develop big citrus flavors that make it ideal for a dessert wine in the Shawnee Hills, but the vines are low yielding and tempermental. Vignoles is a French-Hybrid reportedly derived from Pinot de Corton and Subereux. Owl Creek’s ZenGeist dessert wine is made from late-harvest Vignoles.

Villard

A French/American hybrid that produces an exceptional yield and is valued for it’s mild citrus character. Villard is blended in Owl Creek’s Water Valley White.

Niagara

An American hybrid grape that is very common in the cooler regions of the Great Lakes as it resists cold and disease very well. Very productive and distinctly foxy (big grape flavor), so the Niagara is highly sought after as a sweet wine. Niagara is also very popular in Brazil and Greece. Niagara is used to produce Owl Creek’s Water Valley White.

Muscat

Muscat blanc is probably the oldest known wine producing grape, being the first in such prestigious areas such as Piedmont, Alsace and indeed France as a whole. Found throughout the Mediterranean and revered for its heavy perfume that attracts bees and flies, possibly explaining the name (Musca is latin for 'flies'). This small berried-varietal ripens early and can be quite versatile producing wines from light and dry, to slightly sweet and sparkling, to heavy, rich and thick with honey, all from various colors of skin that range from golden to pink to dark red. Owl Creek’s Water Valley White contains Muscat.