La Crosse is a modern hybrid cultivar of

wine Wine is an alcoholic drink typically made from fermented grapes. Yeast consumes the sugar in the grapes and converts it to ethanol and carbon dioxide, releasing heat in the process. Different varieties of grapes and strains of yeasts are m ...

grape A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus '' Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years a ...

, mostly grown in North America. It produces grapes suitable for making fruity white wines similar to

Riesling Riesling (, ; ) is a white grape variety that originated in the Rhine region. Riesling is an aromatic grape variety displaying flowery, almost perfumed, aromas as well as high acidity. It is used to make dry, semi-sweet, sweet, and sparkling wh ...

or as a base for blended wines. The grapes also make a good seeded table grape for eating. It has the benefits of early ripening and when hardened properly in the fall it is winter hardy to at least -25° F. As such it best suited to growing in more northern climates and can be found grown in small regions of

Ohio Ohio () is a state in the Midwestern region of the United States. Of the fifty U.S. states, it is the 34th-largest by area, and with a population of nearly 11.8 million, is the seventh-most populous and tenth-most densely populated. The sta ...

History

Lacrosse was produced and patented by Elmer Swenson around 1970. It is a hybrid of

Seyval Seyval blanc (or Seyve-Villard hybrid number 5276winepros.com.au ) is a hybrid wine grape variety used to make white wines. Its vines ripen early, are productive and are suited to fairly cool climates. Seyval blanc is grown mainly in England,win ...

crossed to a cross of

Minnesota 78 Minnesota 78 is an old selection of grapevine, developed at the University of Minnesota. It was extensively used in breeding by Elmer Swenson, with its ''Vitis riparia'' background providing a degree of adaptation to the harsh climate of the uppe ...

by Seibel 1000 (aka Rosette). To clarify the parentage of Lacrosse:

is recorded as a cross of Beta by Witt, however many have disputed this pedigree based its characteristics, and Elmer Swenson speculated that the pollen parent was likely Jessica, which was used in many crosses. Beta is a cross of a selection of the wild grape ''

Vitis riparia ''Vitis riparia'' Michx, with common names riverbank grape or frost grape, is a vine indigenous to North America. As a climbing or trailing vine, it is widely distributed across central and eastern Canada and the central and northeastern parts ...

'', Carver, by

Concord Concord may refer to: Meaning "agreement" * Pact or treaty, frequently between nations (indicating a condition of harmony) * Harmony, in music * Agreement (linguistics), a change in the form of a word depending on grammatical features of other ...

. Jessica is a cross of a selection of ''

Vitis labrusca ''Vitis labrusca'', the fox grape, is a species of grapevines belonging to the ''Vitis'' genus in the flowering plant family Vitaceae. The vines are native to eastern North America and are the source of many grape cultivars, including Catawba, C ...

'' by ''

Vitis aestivalis ''Vitis aestivalis'', the summer grape, or pigeon grape is a species of grape native to eastern North America from southern Ontario east to Maine, west to Oklahoma, and south to Florida and Texas. It is a vigorous vine, growing to 10 m or more h ...

''. Seyval is a cross of

Seibel 5656 Seibel may refer to: * Albert Seibel (1844–1936), a French physician and viticulturist * Cathy Seibel (1960–), an American federal judge * Carl-August Seibel (1872–1950), the founder of the German shoe industry * Edgar Seibel (born 1991), ...

and

Seibel S4986 Seibel may refer to: * Albert Seibel (1844–1936), a French physician and viticulturist * Cathy Seibel (1960–), an American federal judge * Carl-August Seibel (1872–1950), the founder of the German shoe industry * Edgar Seibel (born 1991), ...

. Both these hybrids are a complex set of crosses of other Seibel hybrids. Spelling variants in use by wineries and vendors of the hybrid include La Crosse, LaCrosse and Lacrosse. The Lacrosse spelling is preferred by viticulturists. The registry the U.S. Code of Federal Regulations registry fo
LABELING AND ADVERTISING OF WINE
however, lists only "LaCrosse."

References

{{Hybrid grape varieties White wine grape varieties Hybrid grape varieties American wine