Chancellor Harvest at Wagner Vineyards

On Thursday, October 8, 2009 over 24 tons of a red-hybrid, Chancellor, was harvested at Wagner Vineyards on the east side of Seneca Lake. Chancellor is a French-American Hybrid grape that is not widely grown in the Finger Lakes. The foliage of Chancellor is susceptible to downy mildew but the grapes can make for very good wine quality if proper growing techniques are utilized.

These grapes had a Brix level of 18.9 and a 1.3 TA level. This is a higher acid content then usual and it is reflective of the cooler 2009 growing season. The Chancellor was fermented on the skins for one week and was then pressed out when brought into the winery. Wagner uses Chancellor in several of their red blends including the Reserve Red series.