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Edelweiss

Elmer Swenson of Osceola, Wisconsin, worked on developing hardy grapes for over 40 years. His first two introductions, Edelweiss and Swenson Red, were released jointly with the University of Minnesota. Edelweiss is a large-clustered, white variety that has good quality as a table grape as long as it is picked promptly. When completely ripe its labrusca flavor becomes too strong for many palates. Edelweiss is also grown commercially for wine, but again, it should be harvested early. This variety has proven to be less than reliably hardy in central Minnesota but it does have excellent disease reisitance.